Middleton's fourth-quarter explosion silenced the Grizzlies, who fought valiantly shorthanded but ultimately succumbed to the Mavericks' dominance.
MEMPHIS — The Memphis Grizzlies entered the night with a 3-0 lead in the season series against the Dallas Mavericks. After having eight players active on Thursday night, the shorthanded Grizzlies were unable to overcome in a 120-112 defeat.
Khris Middleton proved to be the difference by scoring a season-high 35 points, including 22 in the fourth quarter. It was the most points scored by any Grizzlies opponent in a single quarter this season. With 1:44 left in regulation, Middleton personally outscored the Grizzlies in the final period, 22-20.
"When a guy is hot like that, every shot he takes probably feels like it's going in," Grizzlies guard Jaylen Wells said. "You try to eliminate him having the ball, but he's been doing it for years."
Memphis tied the game at 84 late in the third quarter, but Middleton's 11 consecutive points early in the fourth quarter helped Dallas rebuild a double-figure lead before closing it out. The Mavericks ended an eight-game losing streak and prevented the Grizzlies from pulling off a first-time season series sweep against Dallas.
"The first two threes had very little contest on them," Iisalo said. "When you allow a player like that to get hot, it becomes very difficult to stop him. The biggest thing is that you never want to allow a guy to get hot in the first place."
Memphis played without 11 players, continuing a trend of Olivier-Maxence Prosper starting in a small-ball center role. Daniel Gafford thrived against that mismatch, finishing with 22 points and 14 rebounds. The Mavericks outrebounded Memphis 60-38, a season high for any Grizzlies opponent this season, and held a 64-42 edge in points in the paint. Dallas also outscored Memphis 32-11 in second-chance points, 21-2, before halftime alone.
"You're not going to out-battle them physically, so you try to work around them — deflect the basketball, make things difficult," Prosper said. "I don't care how many pounds a guy weighs. I'm going to find a way to make it hard for him."
Wells led Memphis with 23 points, his seventh 20-point effort of the season. GG Jackson added 20 in his sixth such performance of the year. Javon Small finished with 19 points and a career-high-tying nine assists. Taylor Hendricks had 17 points and 10 rebounds off the bench, notching his second double-double of the season.
Despite the loss, Memphis maintained some positive momentum with its scoring streaks.
The Grizzlies have now scored 110 or more points in 19 consecutive games, the longest such run in franchise history. They also made 10 or more 3-pointers for the 21st straight game, surpassing a previous club record of 19 set earlier this season.
Iisalo felt the Grizzlies found their footing in the second half but proved unable to sustain that momentum.
"We got off to an awful start after having an off day," he said. "The goal was to manage the game so we didn't burn everyone out. The second half was much better, and it speaks volumes about these guys' competitive fire. We just have to find a way to finish those games."
Dallas' bench outscored Memphis' reserves 55-28, showcasing their depth and impact on the game's outcome.
The Grizzlies travel to Detroit to face the Pistons on Friday, then play in Chicago on Monday. Memphis dropped to 23-42 on the season, while Dallas improved to 22-44.