Middleton's explosive fourth quarter shattered Memphis' rally, igniting a dominant Mavericks victory and ending their extended losing streak.
MEMPHIS — Khris Middleton scored 22 of his season-high 35 points in the final 12 minutes on Thursday to lead the Dallas Mavericks past the Memphis Grizzlies 120-112, ending an eight-game losing streak that spanned nearly three weeks.
"Whenever you get off a losing streak — no matter if it's two games or 20 games — it feels like a weight left off your back," Middleton said.
In his second game since moving to the bench, Middleton went 10-of-17 from the field and 8-of-10 from beyond the arc. His 35-point night was the most by a Mavericks reserve since Rodrigue Beaubois had 40 against Golden State in November 2009. It was just the 11th time in Mavericks history that a Dallas player has scored 35 or more points off the bench.
Daniel Gafford took advantage of the Grizzlies' undersized lineup, featuring former Maverick Olivier-Maxence Prosper starting as a small-ball center. He recorded a career-best fourth consecutive double-double with 22 points and 14 rebounds. Cooper Flagg and Max Christie each scored 13.
"As soon as we found out how many guys they had playing, I knew it was going to be a dogfight," Gafford said. "I was going against my former teammate O-Max. That guy plays hard, man. He pretty much brought the best out of me tonight, for sure."
Dallas was up by as much as 20 in the first half before Memphis rallied back. The Grizzlies outscored the Mavericks 30-21 in the third quarter and managed to tie it up. Middleton put a stop to any potential comeback for Memphis by scoring 11 straight Dallas points to rebuild a double-figure lead.
"When you're a shooter and you get a couple to go down, you keep firing," Middleton said.
Mavericks coach Jason Kidd pointed to the team's fast pace as an important factor in Middleton getting good looks.
"We get in trouble when we walk the ball up, and that's where our spacing kind of goes sideways," Kidd said. "Playing with pace, playing quicker — that gives Coop and our point guards the opportunity to get downhill."
Kidd also praised Middleton's veteran guidance for helping the Mavericks close out the game.
"He didn't waste any steps tonight," Kidd said. "When he was open, he shot it. If they pressed up, he drove it. For our young group, this would be a good game to watch."
Memphis dressed just eight players, with 11 on the injured list. Tyler Burton, called up from the G League's Memphis Hustle on a 10-day contract, was among those available. The Grizzlies have been ravaged by injuries for much of the past month, and the depleted frontcourt gave Dallas room to work inside from the opening tip.
Gafford controlled the paint throughout as Dallas won the rebounding battle 60-38. Not only did the Mavericks achieve the franchise's highest rebounding total this season, but the team also recorded a 64-42 edge in points in the paint.
"It means I did my job for sure, just setting the tone physically," Gafford said. "They weren't letting me get the rebound easy either. I had somebody pushing me in my back or hitting me in my face every time I was down there to get one."
Gafford has thrived over much of the Mavericks' six-game road trip that ended in Memphis, averaging 24.5 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 1.7 assists while shooting 70.4% from the floor.
Jaylen Wells led Memphis with 23 points. GG Jackson added 20, Javon Small finished with 19 points and nine assists, and Taylor Hendricks had 17 points and 10 rebounds.
While Dallas left FedEx Forum with a long-awaited victory, Kidd pointed to the need to clean up turnovers after his group finished with 19.
"We've got to be better with turnovers," he said. "We just have too many."
The Mavericks briefly return home Friday to host the Cleveland Cavaliers in their only home appearance during a nine-game stretch before playing a road back-to-back with stops in Cleveland and New Orleans.