The Dallas Mavericks (2-6) head to Memphis Friday night for their first NBA Cup game against the Grizzlies (3-6). It is a tale of two dysfunctional teams: the Grizzlies, who attempt to make peace with
star Ja Morant, and the Mavericks, who attempt to make, well, a shot.
One losing streak will have to end (three games for Dallas, four for Memphis), although a win will not solve the deep-rooted issues for either team. The Mavericks face an existential crisis in the aftermath of a sobering loss to the Pelicans. The Grizzlies are faced with deciding between their star player and their coaching staff, just months after Morant got the previous regime booted.
On the court, these are two of the worst teams in basketball. They are both bottom five in offensive rating, bottom six in net rating, and play at top five paces in the league. So not only are these teams playing horrible basketball, but they’re playing a lot of it. One saving grace on either side is their respective first-round pick in this year’s draft. Cooper Flagg on Dallas and Cedric Coward on Memphis have given otherwise bleak situations a little bit of hope. With uncertainty around the rest of either player’s roster moving forward, it will be fun to watch the rookies go head-to-head for what could be the first of many matchups to come. Here are three other things to note before the game tips off:
No Luka, no… problem?
Dallas notoriously dominated the matchup with Memphis while Luka Doncic was a Maverick. They were 11-4 in games that Doncic played against the Grizzlies, and that includes a 7-1 record between 2021 and 2024. Unfortunately, without Doncic in the lineup, since 2018-19, the pendulum swings the other way, as Memphis has taken 10 of the 11 matchups. Recent history is not in Dallas’ favor. At the time of writing, there is no injury report submitted for either team, but the Mavericks will likely be trotting out the same guys that played on Wednesday. Memphis is far healthier than Dallas is, which would make predicting a Mavericks win pretty bold. Luckily for them, fortune favors the bold.
A true road test
It is hard to believe that Dallas has not played as the visiting team outside of Texas yet. They opened the year with five games in Dallas, then traveled to Mexico City where they were the honorary home team at a neutral site. The other two games (in Houston and Dallas) were both in Texas, meaning the Mavericks have not had to travel more than 250 miles to an opposing arena. They say that defense travels, but with slightly elevated stakes, it will be interesting to see the juice the team has after being able to sleep in their own bed most of the last two-plus weeks. For Flagg, this will easily be the most difficult environment he has had to play in during his young career. I am excited to see how he steps up to the plate.
The NBA Cup brings colorful courts aplenty
Yes, the in-season tournament no one asked for is back and better than ever, with offensive courts as far as the eye can see. Some are disgusting to look at, some blur the three-point lines, and some test the boundaries of how many shades of grey you can put on one piece of wood. However, the Mavericks got lucky with their first game in group play, as Memphis’ court is not half bad:
How to watch
The game will tip at 7:00 p.m. CST on Mavs TV, KFAA 29, and NBA League Pass.
