Dallas Mavericks show energy in outlasting Memphis Grizzlies

That energy the Dallas Mavericks sorely lacked during Wednesday’s 26-point loss in Indiana returned Friday night in a big way against the Memphis Grizzlies.

And that was thanks in large part to JaVale McGee, Chandler Parsons and Zaza Pachulia.

That trio played a major role in the Mavs rallying from an early 10-point deficit and rolling to a 97-88 triumph over the Grizzlies before a sellout crowd of 20,199 at American Airlines Center.

In playing a season-high 18 minutes, McGee scored a season-high 10 points and grabbed five rebounds. He also blocked three of Zach Randolph’s shots and was the intimidation chip the Mavs have been missing for quite some time.

“He was the difference-maker in this game,” coach Rick Carlisle said of McGee. “He’s got a lot of experience guarding Randolph.

“JaVale, he’s got such great length, he’s a smart guy, he was able to play without fouling and he made a huge impact on the game, really, at both ends of the court.”

In addition to his defense, McGee negotiated three lob dunks, two from J.J. Barea and one from Raymond Felton. He also received a chest bump from owner Mark Cuban during a lull in the game.

Parsons also had his imprint on this game, scoring 16 points and handing out a game-high seven assists in a season-high 32 minutes. It was the type of game a long time coming for Parsons, who is still coming off the bench while he recovers from off-season right knee surgery.

“It’s been tough,” Parsons said. “If I take two days off I feel rusty. I had to basically take six months off to rehab and get my knee better. Games like this are definitely a positive sign.”

And then there’s Pachulia, who brings his hard hat to every game and wound up registering his 15th double-double of the season, finishing with 10 points and 18 rebounds. It’s the 12th game this season where Pachulia has grabbed at least 12 rebounds.

The Mavs fell behind 12-2 while missing their first seven shots. But Parsons came off the bench to supply 10 points, leaving Dallas only down 26-25 after the first quarter.

At one stretch the Mavs (15-12) demoralized the Grizzlies (14-14) with their shot-making when they made 13 of 17 field goals.

Deron Williams frustrated the Grizzlies even more when he baited Matt Barnes into fouling him with just 0.2 seconds remaining in the first half on a pump-fake 3-point attempt near midcourt. Williams (14 points) made all three free throws and the Mavs toted a 55-49 lead into the halftime dressing room.

Then, in the second half the Mavs just kept pouring it on until leading by as many as 18 points.

Dirk Nowitzki led the Mavs in scoring with 20 points in just 28 minutes. And the Mavs won the rebounding battle against the Grizzlies 50-39.

“First of all that’s a scrappy tough team that’s always gave us problems,” Parsons said. “They got us at their place earlier in the year [110-96 on Nov. 24], so we owed them one.

“I played hard and Coach has been on me to focus on defense and exhausting myself to make sure I get back into game shape. Nights like this are a step in the right direction and it feels good.’’

This story was originally published December 18, 2015 at 11:21 PM with the headline "Dallas Mavericks show energy in outlasting Memphis Grizzlies."