MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Ja Morant and rookie Cedric Coward each scored 21 points as the Memphis Grizzlies built a big first-half lead to a 118-104 victory over the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Cup game on Friday night.
Jaren Jackson added 17 points for Memphis and Santi Aldama finished with 16 points as the Grizzlies snapped a four-game losing streak. Morant had 13 assists and Coward grabbed nine rebounds.
Max Christie led the Mavericks with 18 points and Najee Marshall added 16 points. P.J. Washington finished with 14 points, 11 of them in the first quarter. Cooper Flagg, the top pick in last summer's draft, scored 12 points.
Dallas played its fourth game without Anthony Davis, who is nursing a left calf strain.
Both teams entered the night on losing streaks—Dallas had lost its previous three. But Dallas was competitive, losing its last four by an average of seven points. Not so much for Memphis. The Grizzlies have lost their six games this season by an average of 15 points.
Memphis, which struggled in the first half, got off to a strong start and built a double-digit lead. They stretched it out to start the third quarter on a 13-5 run that eventually pushed the lead to 35.
Dallas chipped away at Memphis' lead, trailing 102-80 after three, but couldn't get within single digits in the fourth.
Both teams struggle from three-point shooting and are in the bottom six places in the league. And the Mavericks continued their troubles, remaining below 20% in the first half of the year. Memphis connected on 10-of-21 from long range in the first half and led 74-51 at the break.
Next
Mavericks: Play the Wizards on the road on Saturday.
Grizzlies: Host Oklahoma City on Sunday.
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