Clearly, it was rest over rust for the Mavericks after their unexpected week with no games.
They looked fresh, healthy (mostly) and hungry in their first action since Valentine’s Day as they pounced on the Memphis Grizzlies early and rolled to a 102-92 victory Monday at American Airlines Center.
Having sat on their 121-118 loss to Portland for seven days, the Mavericks rode the hot hand of Tim Hardaway Jr. off the bench to make up for the absence of Kristaps Porzingis, who sat out with lower-back tightness.
Hardaway, who had 20 points in the first half, when the Mavericks led by as much as 22, joined Jalen Brunson off the bench as the heavy lifters.