Randolph leads shorthanded Grizzlies in rout of Mavericks

Make it 11-4 for the Memphis Grizzlies against teams that would currently make the Western Conference playoffs.

The Grizzlies continued to give other elite teams fits on Tuesday, shocking the Dallas Mavericks in their own gym with a 109-90 victory, despite the absences of Mike Conley and Tony Allen. Memphis bent little from the outset, opening up a double-digit halftime lead and never taking their foot off the gas.

Credit Zach Randolph a great deal, as he put on a virtuoso performance with several teammates down. Randolph scored 22 points on 10-of-15 shooting and added 10 rebounds, making the following sideline action absolutely necessary:

Randolph helped lead the Grizzlies to 53.2 percent shooting and a five-rebound edge on the glass, but it was the team's defense that stood out most. 

Memphis forced 16 Dallas turnovers and kept them off the free throw line almost entirely, rendering the league's No. 2 offense punchless. The Mavericks didn't shoot poorly from the field with a 48.7 percent mark, but that's a slow way to tally when all of the shots are worth two points and no freebies materialize.

The win pushes Memphis to 33-12, good for second in the West, and drops Dallas to 30-16, way down in sixth. The gap between them remains thin in terms of wins and losses, but Memphis now owns a 2-1 series edge with a plus-21 cumulative score.