Despite Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic’s 64-point Effort, Grizzlies Blowout Mavs in 1st Game Without Ja Morant

The Memphis Grizzlies snapped the Dallas Mavericks‘ three-game winning streak. Despite stepping on the court shorthanded without Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr., the team silenced the mighty duo: Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic. The duo came into the game in red-hot form. And delivered what was expected from them, a 64-point dagger. But it didn’t seem to stun the Memphis side as they shielded it with a collective effort.

The Grizzlies visited the Mavs hours after heartbreaking news about Ja Morant. The 24-year-old star is set to miss the remainder of the season with a torn Labrun. While it was natural to expect the shorthanded Memphis side to lose the Tuesday night encounter, considering their track record this season, the surprise collective attack came out of nowhere for the home team.

Grizzlies stun Kyrie Irving & Co.

The Mavs stepped into the game after beating the West table toppers Minnesota Timberwolves. In that game, both Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic took care of the offense by dropping 35 and 34 points, respectively. In fact, the duo went with the same formula for the Grizzlies as well in tonight’s game, dropping 33 and 31 points.

However, it wasn’t enough to compete with the visitors. The duo lacked support from their teammates, as five players completed the game without scoring a single bucket. The bench also refused to have the team’s back, as they dropped only 24 points. Meanwhile, the Grizzlies’ bench alone dropped 43 points.

Importantly, Desmond Bane and Marcus Smart put up a show, dropping 32 and 23 points, respectively. Bane hit the final nail in the coffin, securing a blowout 103-120 win against the home side.

Above all, the in-form Smart couldn’t complete the game because of a dislocated finger in the third quarter. Despite that the visitors penetrated the Mavs’ defense.

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Speaking of the Mavs’ defense, recently Doncic made a commanding statement about his defensive strength. Let’s find out about it.

Luka Doncic on his defense strength

The Slovenian star had often been criticized for his lack of efforts on the defensive end of the court. Even the Mavs coach Jason Kidd himself made a harsh statement last year, asking him to reach out for help.

Amid these criticisms, he flexed his defense strength after defeating the Wolves. He said, “I’m strong. People don’t think that. But I have one of the most powerful legs in the NBA, I think,” when a reporter asked about his defensive ability near the post.

However, it didn’t seem to work on Tuesday night’s game, as they gave away a blowout 103-120 loss to a shorthanded Grizzlies.

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What do you make of the Grizzlies’ collective effort to dismantle the Mavs? Let us know in the comments below.