Mavs-Grizz primer: Luka remains out, Kyrie questionable

The Mavericks once again will be short at least one superstar and will sweat out the availability of their other one when they have an early rematch Monday night against the Memphis Grizzlies.

Luka Dončić will miss his second consecutive game with a left thigh strain. Kyrie Irving (right foot soreness) is questionable, according to the latest injury report.

What the Mavericks are less and less concerned about is how rookie Jaden Hardy will perform if and when he is pressed into duty.

The last few times he’s been in that situation, he’s answered the question resoundingly.

Hardy is coming off a 22-point showing as he was thrust into his first NBA starting duty Saturday against the Grizzlies on Saturday.

Those meaningful moments have been hard to come by in his first season, but the way he’s handled them has been impressive. When he has played more than 10 minutes in a game, he has averaged 11.1 points (199 points, 18 games).

“Obviously, he’s got a lot of firepower, a lot of confidence as a rookie,” Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins said before the Saturday meeting. “He’s really flourished with it. Obviously, the opportunities haven’t been there all season long, but when he has (played), he’s been aggressive. When we’ve talked as a coaching staff, you got to have full attention on him. This guy is instant offense.”

Hardy has gotten quite the education this year watching Dončić and, since the training deadline, Irving. But watching superstars is no substitute for having to do it yourself.

The 6-4 guard found out just before Saturday’s game that he would be starting. His family quickly got the news and he wasn’t particularly nervous going into the game.

“As I continue to play more and start to get more comfortable, I feel like my game will continue to grow,” he said. “But I just really learning from the guys this year. I feel like today was a good experience for me.”

With Luka definitely out Monday, and the health of Irving pending, Hardy may get more opportunities on Monday.

Here’s what else to look for in the rematch:

• The Grizzlies have the league’s best shot-blocker in Jaren Jackson Jr. and he had two of them on Saturday. “He identifies with it,” Jenkins said of Jackson’s rejections. “He enjoys it. That’s a highlight for him. A lot of times we’re funneling things into him. And he’s got a care factor about it.”
• The Mavericks gave up an open crunch-time three-pointer to Desmond Bane on Saturday and paid the price. His bucket with a minute to go put the Grizzlies up 108-104 on Saturday. “He’s a guy who can put the ball in the basket,” coach Jason Kidd said. “You got to keep him off the free throw line. One thing we didn’t do well. He’s a guy who makes shots and he had a wide-open three there late, which is one of those things you can’t have happen if you want to beat them, especially here (in Memphis).” Bane likely will be on an emotional high to be back near his alma mater of TCU.
• The Grizzlies again will be without Ja Morant, but they got superb contributions from rookie David Roddy (22 points, 4-of-7 three-point shooting) and point guard Tyus Jones (10 assists) in the first meeting. Brandon Clarke and Steven Adams also are out.
• The Mavericks are at .500 for the first time since Dec. 21, when they were 16-16.
• The Grizzlies are starting a three-game trip that moves on to Miami and San Antonio, in that order.
• The last time the Grizzlies were at AAC was Oct. 22 in the third game of the season. Not much to take from that meeting now, except that the Mavericks won by 41 points.

DALLAS MAVERICKS (34-34) at MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES (40-26)

• When: 6:30 p.m., Monday.
• Where: American Airlines Center, Dallas.
• TV: Bally Sports Southwest.
• Radio:1 FM, 99.1 FM Zona MX (Spanish).

Twitter: @ESefko