The Mavs will play the first of a four-game road trip tonight, the longest they have undertaken so far this season. They will start out with the Memphis Grizzlies, a team they traditionally abuse. The Mavs have now won eight in a row against Memphis and won their previous meeting this season 108-105. The Grizzlies have won 3 out of their last 6, which is only their second time they have done that all season.
Mighty Mike
With Pau Gasol out last season, Mike Miller had the opportunity to carry the Grizzlies for a large chunk of the season. Now that Gasol is back and Rudy Gay has emerged as a solid player, Miller has proved the doubters wrong and sustained his impressive play. He is averaging 16.9 points per game, but the most impressive part of his game is his shooting percentages. He's shooting 51.8 percent from the floor (best on the team) and 44 percent from the three-point line (also a team best).
Rudy, Pau and Mike
The Grizzlies have a solid big three in Rudy Gay, Pau Gasol and Mike Miller and can pin any success they have on those three excelling at the same time. Their paltry 13-31 record tells you that success has been fleeting, but it's tough to talk badly about these three guys. The rest of the player and the coaching staff...well that's another story.
They're not going to stop you
They can score in bunches, especially from long range. But don't expect them to put up much of a fight on the defensive end. They are 29th in the league in defense and you won't see them getting a lot of steals in the Mavs. They are also sloppy and commit 15.7 turnovers per game.
Burning question
Will they trade Pau Gasol and go into rebuilding mode?
-Scooter Hendon, Hoops Nerd
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