Grizzlies’ Desmond Bane, Jaren Jackson Jr. light up Mavericks in play-in win
Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson and guard Desmond Bane led their team to victory ā and the playoffs.
Petre Thomas-Imagn Images
By Sean Keane
Ā |Ā
LastĀ updatedĀ AprĀ 19,Ā 2025Ā 12:25Ā AMĀ ET
Playing on a sprained ankle, Ja Morant didn’t shoot well Friday night. His Memphis Grizzlies teammates made up for that in a big way.
Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 24 points and went 4-of-5 on three-pointers and Desmond Bane went 3-of-5 from deep on his way to 22 points as the Grizzlies blew out the Dallas Mavericks, 120-106. The win gave the Grizzlies the No. 8 seed and a first-round series against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Morant shot only 7-of-24 on his way to 22 points, tying Bane for the team-high with nine assists. It was a surprise that Morant played at all after hurting his foot in Tuesday’s loss to the Golden State Warriors, but thanks to a pain-killing injection, he logged 33 minutes, adding seven rebounds and three steals.
The painful, swollen ankle didn’t stop him from elevating above the rim for a spectacular rebound and putback.
The Grizzlies began the game on a 7-0 run, and the scoring kept going. Nine minutes into the game, Memphis had a 34-14 lead. Even when the Mavericks closed the first half on an 8-0 run, they still trailed by 17 at the half.
Anthony Davis scored 40 points and grabbed nine rebounds, but the supposedly defense-first Mavs couldn’t stop Memphis. Not only did the Grizzlies shoot 41.9 percent from distance, but they dominated the glass, collecting 50 rebounds to the Mavericks’ 36.
Playing the 68-14 Thunder is no picnic. But for the Grizzlies, it’s a lot better than going home.
Sean Keane
Sean Keane is a sportswriter and a comedian based in Oakland, California, with experience covering the NBA, MLB, NFL and Ice Cubeās three-on-three basketball league, The Big 3. Heās written for Comedy Centralās āAnother Period,ā ESPN the Magazine, and Audible. com
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