MEMPHIS, Tenn. _ If the Dallas Mavericks were intending on tanking games for better lottery odds, the memo never got to the players.
Although Luka Doncic was unavailable again Sunday because of a right thigh bruise, the rest of the available players on the roster put together a furious comeback in the second half and held on to beat the Memphis Grizzies in a back and forth, 129-127, win in overtime.
No one came up bigger than Salah Mejri, whose put-back with 1.5 seconds left in regulation after four consecutive missed shots on the same possession, tied the game and sent it to overtime. Mejri was active at both ends of the floor, scoring 19 points, grabbing nine rebounds and blocking four shots. But he wasn't alone in the heroics.
"He did almost everything," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. "He protected the rim, he got rebounds, he got put-backs, he hit 3s. He drove and dunked it. He made a couple of nice passes. He showed us the package."
Trey Burke led the Mavs with 24 points on 8 of 16 shooting. Seven Mavs scored in double-figures and Jalen Brunson had 10 assists to go with 12 points.
It's the Mavs' first OT win this season and their bench celebrated like it was a playoff game with each huge basket down the stretch.
"Our guys like each other, they like to play, they like to compete," Carlisle said. "We've had a rough year and wins have not come easily at all. We get a chance to close out a game, it's a big deal."
The Grizzlies led by as much as 15 before the Mavs started their rally late in the third quarter. Mejri's step-back 3 from the top of the key gave the Mavs a 1-point lead with 7:12 remaining in regulation. But a 10-2 Memphis run gave the Grizzlies a four-point lead with just over two minutes remaining. Mejri had nine points in the fourth quarter and seven in the overtime and was 7 of 11 from the field in the stretch.
"I love pressure. I'm a pressure guy," Mejri said. "Whenever the game is on the line I love that feeling so I guess that's what turned me on."
Fans at FedEx Forum started chanting "We want Dirk" with about five minutes remaining but the Mavs announced at halftime that he was not returning for the second half. With Nowitzki potentially playing his final game in Dallas on Tuesday, the Mavs probably wanted to let him rest up.
