Ja Morant played through a sprained right ankle and scored 22 points with nine assists as the Memphis Grizzlies beat the Dallas Mavericks 120-106 on Friday night to clinch the Western Conference’s eighth seed.
Memphis will open a best-of-seven first-round series against top-seeded Oklahoma City on Sunday at the Thunder’s home arena.
Morant hurt his ankle Tuesday in Golden State and was listed as questionable. His availability was uncertain until about 30 minutes before tipoff. “The doctors gave me all the help I needed in the simplest terms,” said Morant. “I wanted to be on the floor. I wanted to play this game and get the win.”
Jaren Jackson Jr. led the Grizzlies with 24 points. Desmond Bane added 22. Zach Edey finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds, and Scotty Pippen Jr. scored 13.
Memphis built a 25-point lead in the first half, but Dallas closed the gap with a 27-12 run that stretched across halftime. The Mavericks cut the deficit to single digits in the third, but the Grizzlies pushed the lead back to 96-80 going into the fourth and held on the rest of the way.
Anthony Davis led Dallas with 40 points and nine rebounds. He limped off in the fourth with what appeared to be a right calf injury. He returned briefly but did not finish the game and sat in the locker room after with a wrap and an ice bag on the leg. “We had our chances. Obviously, a tough loss,” Davis said.
Dallas had beaten Sacramento on Wednesday to reach this play-in game. The Mavericks have struggled late in the season, going 7-15 since March 1, and they lost Kyrie Irving to left knee surgery amid a trade that brought Davis to Dallas and sent Luka Doncic to the Lakers. “An incredible season, but the change (trading Doncic for AD) and injuries, some would say we shouldn’t even be there,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. “So give those guys in that locker room a lot of credit.”
Memphis lost all four regular-season games to Oklahoma City, each by double digits. Jackson said the playoffs are different. “A series is a series,” Jackson said. “You’ve got to stay level-headed. Whether you win a game or lose a game, it really doesn’t matter until it’s over.”
