Cam Spencer ignites bench offense as Grizzlies dominate Mavericks, snapping losing streak with a balanced, high-energy team performance.
DALLAS — Cam Spencer scored 25 points off the bench and the Memphis Grizzlies dominated from start to finish, pulling away from the shorthanded Dallas Mavericks 124-105 Friday night to snap a three-game losing streak.
Eight Grizzlies reached double figures. Olivier-Maxence Prosper recorded the first double-double of his career with 16 points and a career-high 10 rebounds against his former team. Scotty Pippen Jr. added 15 points, and Jaylen Wells and GG Jackson each finished with 12.
Memphis led 34-20 after one quarter, pushed it to 64-44 at halftime, and stretched the advantage to 34 points twice in the third quarter before coasting to the finish.
The win came despite Memphis missing Ja Morant, Zach Edey, Santi Aldama, Ty Jerome, Cedric Coward, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Brandon Clarke. Dallas was equally depleted, without Cooper Flagg, Kyrie Irving, Dereck Lively II, Marvin Bagley III, P.J. Washington, Klay Thompson, Caleb Martin, and Ryan Nembhard.
"Just the competitiveness that we basically played with for 48 minutes," Grizzlies coach Tuomas Iisalo said. "We've got a lot of young guys on the team and everybody's getting a chance to show what they can do. I was very happy with the collective effort and how we were sharing the ball. That's why everybody got on the box score."
Spencer, who finished a plus-16, credited the defensive end for setting the tone early.
"I thought it started on the defensive end for us tonight," Spencer said. "I thought that allowed us to get out in transition and get some easy ones. I thought all five guys were pretty connected out there and were very aggressive, swarming toward the ball and getting some steals, and that allowed us to get out and run. So credit to everybody tonight."
The win came despite Memphis missing Ja Morant, Zach Edey and Santi Aldama. The Grizzlies have been undersized for weeks, but Iisalo said the response has been collective.
"Just trying to scrap and fight as much as possible," Iisalo said. "We're undersized. Some of it is tactical adjustments, but mostly it comes down to the guys competing, sticking up for each other and being on a string defensively."
Prosper has been one of the primary beneficiaries of the expanded opportunity. The 23-year-old forward, who spent three seasons with Dallas averaging 3.5 points before being waived last August, has quietly become one of the team's most reliable contributors.
"All of O-Max's energy is just contagious," Iisalo said. "He's one of the highest-motor players in the whole league. He's had to basically shift up a position or two spots and is doing a great job. He's improved his shooting from the outside and is shooting with a lot of confidence. Today, I think he had a career-high 10 rebounds. That's great to see. Just how he's improving in the little facets of the game overall, it's a testament to the hard work he's putting in."
Wells finished with 12 points and has been increasingly efficient over the last stretch of games. Iisalo said his growth on both ends has been a quiet driver of Memphis's best performances.
"Jaylen is just extremely solid," Iisalo said. "He fits into different types of lineups because he doesn't need the ball to impact the game positively. He's knocking down open shots. He's also improved his mid-range scoring, which is very high efficiency for him. Defensively, he's taken on different types of matchups. His off-ball defense, his awareness and his disruption have really gotten better."
GG Jackson added 12 points and Iisalo pointed to his continued development as another sign of a young roster growing into itself.
"He's grown into a good on-ball defender," Iisalo said of Jackson. "He's improved his rebounding. But especially offensively, he's turned into a paint-touch machine at 6-10. He's also making plays for other guys from that. He's turning into a complete offensive package."
Spencer, asked about his own performance, kept the focus on process over production.
"I was just aggressive and trying to make the right play," Spencer said. "I felt like I had a good rhythm going early, and I just tried to work off that. But I'm always thinking about how we can get the best shot for the team."
Dallas fell to 21-38 and has now lost seven straight at home. Brandon Williams led the Mavericks with 16 points. Miles Kelly and Moussa Cissé, both G League two-way saw meaningful minutes off the bench.
Memphis improved to 22-36 and travels to Indianapolis on Sunday to face the Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.