Struggling Mavs Lose Again in Rematch With Grizzlies: Irving and Doncic Both Out With Injuries

• The Memphis Grizzlies recorded back-to-back wins against the Dallas Mavericks
• The Mavs have plummeted down the team standings with their two stars out injured
• Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving missed both of Dallas' games against the Grizzlies

Things are going from bad to worse for the Dallas Mavericks.

They suffered their third consecutive defeat on Monday, losing to the Memphis Grizzlies 104-88.

Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving did not see action for the Mavs, who have lost nine of their last 12 games.

Doncic and Irving sidelined again

The All-Star duo missed their second consecutive game because of injuries. Doncic was ruled out a day before Monday’s contest against the Grizzlies because of a left thigh strain, per ESPN.

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Irving was downgraded to out a couple of hours before tipoff, with the former Brooklyn Nets star dealing with a sore right foot.

Jason Kidd eased fans’ concerns, saying that the status of both Doncic and Irving is day-to-day. He is optimistic that the Mavs’ two key players will be able to practice on Tuesday.

Mavs struggle without star pair

The Mavericks badly need Irving and Doncic on the court, as they struggled mightily without them in the pair of losses to the Grizzlies.

After losing 112-108 to Memphis on Saturday night, Dallas suffered a similar fate two days later.

They had no answer for Desmond Bane, who finished with 23 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists.

David Roddy also stepped up, with the rookie scoring 19 points on 8 of 11 shooting. That performance came two nights after he scored a career-high 24 points against the Mavs.

The Grizzlies blew the game open in the third quarter, outscoring the Mavs 36-21. Memphis opened the second half with a blistering 12-0 run, turning a one-point deficit at the break into an 11-point advantage.

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Grizzlies get back on track

The Grizzlies cruised to the easy win, their third straight after losing the first two games of Ja Morant’s sabbatical. After displaying a gun at a club on his Instagram Live video, he entered a counseling program.

The Grizzlies grabbed sole possession of second place on Monday after the Sacramento Kings lost to the Milwaukee Bucks. The Mavericks are in danger of missing the playoffs as they are tied in the loss column with the Oklahoma City Thunder, who are in 11th place in the West.

Brooks issues warning to Dallas

Sports Brief recently reported on Dillon Brooks issuing challenges to Doncic and Irving.

He wanted to test his defense against the two, but his wish didn’t come true as both stars sat out the two meetings.

Brooks and Draymond Green grabbed the headlines recently, with the two players trading barbs.