No matter whether they’re dealing with injuries or an illness, the Dallas Mavericks appear unstoppable right now.
Over the last nine games the Mavs have produced a very impressive 8-1 record. The only other teams with a similar won-loss record during that time are the Orlando Magic, Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics, who also have stitched together an 8-1 record.
Those records by the Mavs, Magic, Bucks and Celtics are the best the NBA has to offer during the last nine games.
For the Mavs, the winning kept coming despite Luka Dončić missing six games with a bruised right knee or a sprained right wrist, and Klay Thompson missing the past four with left foot plantar fasciitis. In addition, Kyrie Irving (right shoulder soreness), Dereck Lively II (right knee hyperextension) and Naji Marshall (illness) sat out Sunday’s 137-131 win over Portland.
In short, the Mavs’ depth has been severely tested lately. And they’ve come up big.
“It’s interesting when you talk about some guys are out, it gives others an opportunity,” coach Jason Kidd said. “But our depth has helped us with some injuries and sickness.”
Dončić sat out the Nov. 17 game at Oklahoma City with a bruised right knee. But the Mavs still won, 121-119, behind 27 points and a career-high 17 rebounds from P. J. Washington.
In addition, Dončić missed recent games against Denver, Miami, Atlanta, New York and Utah while nursing a sprained right wrist. The only game of that quintet the Mavs lost was at Miami – and it took an overtime for the Heat to win that game, 123-118.
Dončić returned in time for Sunday’s win over Portland, and he responded with 36 points, seven rebounds, 13 assists and three steals while shooting 15-of-24 from the field. In other words, he didn’t miss a beat.
“Being hurt is never fun,” Kidd said. (Dončić ) wants to play. He wants to help the team win.
“I think coming back healthy with the wrist, and being able to play the way he did (against Portland), he’s done everything that we talked about leading up to this. Being short-handed (against Portland) was a perfect time for him to play — with Kai and those guys being out.”
Quentin Grimes was one of the players who took advantage of his extended playing time when a few of his teammates were injured or sick. Grimes had 21 points and seven rebounds during last Wednesday’s 129-114 win over the New York Knicks.
Grimes followed that up with 24 points in Saturday’s 106-94 win over the Utah Jazz. Then, he added a season-high 28 points and a career-high five steals in the victory over Portland.
“I thought Q has played extremely well starting for us,” Kidd said. “Q starting or coming off the bench, he’s willing to play that role at a high level for us, and we need that if we want to win games, and the ultimate goal is to win a championship.”
As the Mavs prepare to host a pivotal 2024 Cup Nights game against the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday, they’ll do so knowing they’re as deep as any team in the NBA. And once all of his players get healthy and well, Kidd will have a problem probably all coaches would love to have – trying to find minutes to disperse among a wealth of talented players.
“Now we got to figure out, once we get whole, how to become one team,” Kidd said. “That’s just chemistry, and it takes time. We have multiple teams right now. And the goal is, at the right time, to become that one team. And we understand what time of the year that is.”
Here are some other nuggets surrounding the game between the Mavs and Grizzlies.
*This is a single home game before the Mavs head out of town – again — this time to play in Washington on Thursday against the Wizards. The
Mavs will also face the Raptors in Toronto on Saturday.
*After jetting out of Memphis for this one-game trip, the Grizzlies return home to entertain the Sacramento Kings on Thursday.
*Naji Marshall (illness) and Dante Exum (right wrist surgery) are listed as out for Tuesday’s game, while Dereck Lively II (right knee hyperextension) and Klay Thompson (left foot plantar fasciitis) are questionable.
*The Grizzlies are led by Jaren Jackson Jr. (22.4 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 1.8 bpg), Ja Morant (21.2 ppg, 9.0 apg), TCU-ex Desmond Bane (13.9 ppg, 6.4 rpg) and Santi Aldama (13 ppg, 7.4 rpg). Also for the Grizzlies, Jaylen Wells averages 12.2 ppg, Scotty Pippen Jr. is averaging 11.6 ppg, rookie Zach Edey averages 11.1 ppg and 6.9 rpg, and ex-Flower Mound Marcus High School star Marcus Smart is averaging 10 points.
*The dangerous backcourt duo of Luka Dončić (28.6 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 8.0 apg) and Kyrie Irving (24.8 ppg, 5.6 apg) are the pacesetters for the Mavs. Klay Thompson (13.2 ppg), Daniel Gafford (12.7 ppg, 6.8 rpg), P. J. Washington (12.5 ppg, 8.6 rpg), and Naji Marshall (11.6 ppg) have greatly contributed to the 
team’s success.
*The Grizzlies are in third place in the Western Conference standings, and the Mavs are in fifth place. If the Mavs defeat the Grizzlies, the Mavs will move into the fourth spot. And if the Golden State Warriors lose at the Los Angeles Clippers late Tuesday night, the Mavs will move into the third spot out West.
*The Mavs just went through a period where they played five of their last six games on the road. And they went 4-1 on the road during that period, with the only loss being a 123-118 contest in overtime in Miami on Nov. 24. The Mavs are coming off a 2-0 sweep on the road in Utah (106-94) this past Saturday and Portland (137-131) this past Sunday.
*Memphis comes to town riding a six-game winning streak. But all six of those wins were against teams with a losing record. The Grizzlies are averaging 128.2 ppg during the winning streak.
MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES (14-7) at DALLAS MAVERICKS (13-8)
When: 7:30 p.m., Tuesday
Where: American Airlines Center, Dallas
TV: WFAA-8, KFAA-29, MavsTV Stream
Radio: KEGL 97.1 FM The Eagle, 99.1 FM Zona MX (Spanish)
X: @DwainPrice
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