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Grizzlies (4-7) @ Mavericks (5-7)
A slow start and a civil lawsuit against owner Mark Cuban contributed to a tumultuous few weeks for the Dallas Mavericks at the beginning of the season.
An undefeated three-game road trip, however, has worked wonders in restoring their confidence.
The Mavericks look to continue their resurgence by getting their fourth straight win - and first at home this season - on Friday night when they host the Memphis Grizzlies, a team they haven't lost to in nearly three years.
A five-game losing streak from Nov. 7-14 dropped Dallas to 2-7, its worst start since it opened 1-8 in 1998-99. Insider trading charges brought against Cuban on Monday only added to the early-season chaos for the Mavericks, who have been one of the NBA's most consistent teams, winning at least 50 games in each of the last eight seasons.
Despite the atypical start, the Mavericks (5-7) appear to have reclaimed a sense of normalcy after completing an undefeated three-game road trip with a 96-86 win over Houston on Wednesday.
"It was a tough start for us, but we are a veteran club and we didn't panic," said Jason Kidd, acquired at last season's trade deadline for the younger Devin Harris in an attempt to make Dallas a title contender. "We take one game at a time."
On Wednesday, Jason Terry led Dallas with 31 points while going 13-for-21 from the field in 34-plus minutes off the bench.
"I always play as hard as I can," said Terry, the third-place finisher in last season's Sixth Man of the Year voting, who has returned to a reserve role after a brief stint as a starter. "Shooters keep shooting and I'm always going to keep shooting. I will do what I can for the team, and if it is off the bench, it's okay."
Terry is shooting 47.3 percent from the field on the road, but has connected on only 21 of 59 shots (35.6 percent) in the Mavericks' four home losses. It's their worst home start since they opened 0-19 in 1993-94.
"We have to build on this road trip and concentrate on winning games at home," first-year Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said after Wednesday's victory. "When you are struggling you have to do all the little things to turn the game around."
The Grizzlies hope they've begun a similar turnaround after snapping a four-game skid with their best performance of the season on Tuesday. After a three-day layoff, Memphis (4-7) shot a season-high 54.2 percent in a 109-94 win over Sacramento.
The Grizzlies entered the game shooting 42.8 percent, 25th in the league.
"We had a lot of time to practice, whereas other games we've been on the road or playing back-to-back-to-back," said Rudy Gay, who had 22 points, eight rebounds and four assists against the Kings. "We had a couple of practices under our belt. We worked on our shooting, and it really helped us."
Memphis could use another strong performance as it meets a Dallas team it hasn't beaten since Nov. 26, 2005. The Mavericks have won the last 11 meetings between the division rivals, including all four last season by an average of 12.0 points.
The Grizzlies could have a hard time snapping their skid against the Mavericks if Dallas gets Josh Howard back. Howard, the Mavericks' second-leading scorer and rebounder, missed the team's last game with a left ankle injury and is day-to-day.
A slow start and a civil lawsuit against owner Mark Cuban contributed to a tumultuous few weeks for the Dallas Mavericks at the beginning of the season.
An undefeated three-game road trip, however, has worked wonders in restoring their confidence.
The Mavericks look to continue their resurgence by getting their fourth straight win - and first at home this season - on Friday night when they host the Memphis Grizzlies, a team they haven't lost to in nearly three years.
A five-game losing streak from Nov. 7-14 dropped Dallas to 2-7, its worst start since it opened 1-8 in 1998-99. Insider trading charges brought against Cuban on Monday only added to the early-season chaos for the Mavericks, who have been one of the NBA's most consistent teams, winning at least 50 games in each of the last eight seasons.
Despite the atypical start, the Mavericks (5-7) appear to have reclaimed a sense of normalcy after completing an undefeated three-game road trip with a 96-86 win over Houston on Wednesday.
"It was a tough start for us, but we are a veteran club and we didn't panic," said Jason Kidd, acquired at last season's trade deadline for the younger Devin Harris in an attempt to make Dallas a title contender. "We take one game at a time."
On Wednesday, Jason Terry led Dallas with 31 points while going 13-for-21 from the field in 34-plus minutes off the bench.
"I always play as hard as I can," said Terry, the third-place finisher in last season's Sixth Man of the Year voting, who has returned to a reserve role after a brief stint as a starter. "Shooters keep shooting and I'm always going to keep shooting. I will do what I can for the team, and if it is off the bench, it's okay."
Terry is shooting 47.3 percent from the field on the road, but has connected on only 21 of 59 shots (35.6 percent) in the Mavericks' four home losses. It's their worst home start since they opened 0-19 in 1993-94.
"We have to build on this road trip and concentrate on winning games at home," first-year Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said after Wednesday's victory. "When you are struggling you have to do all the little things to turn the game around."
The Grizzlies hope they've begun a similar turnaround after snapping a four-game skid with their best performance of the season on Tuesday. After a three-day layoff, Memphis (4-7) shot a season-high 54.2 percent in a 109-94 win over Sacramento.
The Grizzlies entered the game shooting 42.8 percent, 25th in the league.
"We had a lot of time to practice, whereas other games we've been on the road or playing back-to-back-to-back," said Rudy Gay, who had 22 points, eight rebounds and four assists against the Kings. "We had a couple of practices under our belt. We worked on our shooting, and it really helped us."
Memphis could use another strong performance as it meets a Dallas team it hasn't beaten since Nov. 26, 2005. The Mavericks have won the last 11 meetings between the division rivals, including all four last season by an average of 12.0 points.
The Grizzlies could have a hard time snapping their skid against the Mavericks if Dallas gets Josh Howard back. Howard, the Mavericks' second-leading scorer and rebounder, missed the team's last game with a left ankle injury and is day-to-day.
