When Spencer Dinwiddie signed a one-year, $3.3 million free agent contract with the Dallas Mavericks this offseason, there were no
guarantees as to how much playing time he could expect to receive.
No organization in its right mind would guarantee that.
“I signed on to help the teammates win a championship in whatever form that is,” Dinwiddie said. “Whether that’s a big bro, whether that’s 20 points or whether that’s 10 assists or guarding (Memphis Grizzlies guard) Ja Morant or anything in between.”
Something “in between” happened for Dinwiddie during Tuesday’s game against the Grizzlies. Suddenly, he found himself on the American Airlines Center 
court in crunch time – with a trip to the 2024 Cup Nights quarterfinals at stake – and boy did he deliver.
Not only did Dinwiddie drill a crucial three-pointer down the stretch. But he followed that up on the very next trip up the floor with another three-pointer.
Those critical back-to-back triples put the Mavs ahead, 116-111, and they went on to rally from a 15-point fourth-quarter deficit to eke out a 121-116 triumph over the Grizzlies. The win clinched a spot in the 2024 Cup Nights quarterfinals for the Mavs, who will face the Thunder in Oklahoma City next Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. with a trip to Las Vegas for the semifinals on the line.
For Dinwiddie, he’s just overjoyed that he can provide some leadership and key baskets at this stage of his career. Especially since he doesn’t know when or if he’s going to get some meaningful minutes from game to game.
Against the Grizzlies, Dinwiddie poured in 16 points on 5-of-10 shots in 25 minutes. He also was 3-of-5 form downtown.
“I think playing meaningful basketball at this stage in your career is probably the most you can ask for,” the 31-year old Dinwiddie said. “I’ve had a ton of fun. Obviously, I want to stay in the rotation. Who wouldn’t?
“But you understand things come with it. That’s the league and that’s being on a talented team and understanding all of that. Again, my focus is being here and trying to help the team win – actually, a Cup championship and a real championship.”
Here are the takeaways from the Mavs’ five-point win over the Grizzlies.
MAVS OVERCAME THEIR MISCUES: It’s not very often a team can turn the ball over 25 times, miss 14 free throws, get outscored, 58-44, in the paint, and still emerge with a victory. But that’s precisely what happened to the Mavs on Tuesday. For three quarters, things just weren’t going the Mavs’ way. Then, the fourth quarter happened, and the Mavs did a complete 180 and collected their ninth win in their last 10 games.
FOURTH QUARTER MAGIC: Whatever the Mavs accomplished in the fourth quarter Tuesday, they may want to bottle it so they can use it again if they find themselves in another dire situation. The Mavs trailed Memphis, 95-82, after the third quarter, and by 15 points less than a minute into the final quarter. But in the fourth quarter, the Mavs outscored the Grizzlies, 39-21, and went on to improve their record to 14-8 while moving into third place in the Western Conference standings.
DONCIC WAS MAGICAL: Mavs point guard Luka Dončić was back at his old tricks again. Dončić finished the game with 37 points, 12 rebounds and four steals. He was 11-of-22 from the field, including 5-of-9 from three-point territory. This all came after Dončić set the tone by scoring 24 of his points in the first half, staking the Mavs to a 60-57 lead at the game’s midway point.
X: @DwainPrice
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