Grizzlies vs Mavericks NBA Play-In Pick: Who Clinches The Final Playoff Berth In This Win-Or-Go-Home Matchup? (Apr 18)

• The Memphis Grizzlies dropped their first Play-In matchup against the Golden State Warriors.
• Dallas knocked off the Sacramento Kings in the 9-vs-10 matchup to move one step closer to securing the No. 8 seed.
• These teams last played on Apr. 13, with the Grizzlies claiming a 132-97 victory.

One of the games on Friday’s NBA slate features the Memphis Grizzlies hosting the Dallas Mavericks. Which team will advance to the postseason in our Grizzlies vs Mavericks pick?

Grizzlies Look To Bounce Back From Loss Against Warriors

The Grizzlies are coming off a 121-116 loss against the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the play-in tournament.

Desmond Bane was one of five players who reached double figures. He finished with 30 points on 11-of-21 shooting from the floor and 5-for-8 from beyond the arc. He also collected six rebounds and handed out four assists.

Ja Morant added 22 points on 50 percent shooting while Jaren Jackson Jr. logged 18, points, four boards, and six dimes.

Memphis trailed by three points with 5.4 seconds left to play. Unfortunately, the team failed to inbound the ball on the ensuing possession before a five-second violation was called, securing the win for Golden State.

Mavs Look To Put Recent Struggles Behind Them

Dallas had dropped four its past five games before knocking off the Sacramento Kings to stay in contention for the No. 8 seed. Anthony Davis, who joined the team via a midseason trade, scored a team-high 27 points, and grabbed nine rebounds.

Klay Thompson turned in a solid performance, finishing with 23 points, five rebounds, and shot 5-for-7 from 3-point range.

Sacramento led by a slim 29-27 margin after the first quarter. However, Dallas outscored the home team by a 44-19 margin in the second quarter, making the rest of the game a laugher.

Thompson keyed the burst with four 3-pointers during the game changing stretch.

Grizzlies vs Mavericks Pick: Who Advances To The Postseason In This Play-In Showdown?

The Grizzlies finished in the bottom third of the league in scoring defense. Conversely, they owned the second-highest scoring average, putting up 121.7 points per outing.

On the other side of the matchup, the Mavericks ranked 21st in defensive rating and 17th in offensive efficiency. Given these trends, this has the potential to be a high-scoring affair.

The Mavericks took the first meeting between these franchise before Memphis responded with wins in each of the following three matchups.

On paper, the Grizzlies should take this one. The caveat here is Ja Morant is nursing an ankle injury and is a game-time decision for this contest. Despite this development, Memphis has enough talent to advance with or without Morant in the lineup.