Mavericks win first NBA Summer League game, 96-88 over Grizzlies despite Morez Johnson absence

Dallas opened its NBA Summer League slate with a 96-88 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night, turning a roster wrinkle into a reason to emphasize shared offensive responsibility. The Mavericks did not have Morez Johnson available, but the group still found enough scoring touches and rebounding support to control the tempo and secure their first victory of the summer.

Sergio De Larrea provided the clearest through line for Dallas. According to the game report, he finished with 16 points and 12 rebounds, a double-double that anchored the Mavericks’ inside work and helped convert possessions into steady offensive output. The performance mattered because summer league games often swing on second-chance opportunities, and Dallas’s ability to generate them showed up directly in the rebounding total.

Darin Green Jr. also produced at a high level for Dallas, finishing as the Mavericks’ leading scorer with 18 points. His role fit the broader theme of the night for Dallas, where the offense was not dependent on a single creator. Instead, the scoring load spread across multiple players, which can be a practical advantage when lineups rotate quickly and shooting quality fluctuates from unit to unit.

For Memphis, the story centered on Cameron Boozer, the Grizzlies’ third overall pick. Boozer posted a 21-point, eight-rebound effort in defeat, grinding for production and staying engaged on both ends even as the Mavericks sought to limit easy looks. His stat line stood out as a reliable scoring baseline for Memphis, and the rebounding total suggested he was active in the middle of the floor rather than only operating as a perimeter finisher.

The final margin, 96-88, indicates that Memphis was not overwhelmed, even while Dallas controlled enough key stretches to finish the game. In summer league settings, close games like this often reflect matchup-specific advantages, such as who can secure possessions in transition and who can rebound through traffic. Here, Dallas’s rebounding edge, led by De Larrea’s 12 boards, paired with a multi-player scoring approach to keep the Grizzlies from closing the gap late.

There is also an evaluation angle for both teams. For Dallas, the win is less about a single result and more about identifying a working rotation of scorers and rebounders that can sustain production without relying on one player every trip down. For Memphis, Boozer’s ability to score 21 while pulling down eight rebounds provides a strong data point for his early adjustment to the pace and physicality of summer competition, even if the supporting cast still needs to connect more consistently.

What to watch next is how each team responds once the summer league rhythm becomes more established. For Dallas, the question will be whether the balanced offensive distribution can keep producing in later games and whether De Larrea’s double-double profile can remain a repeatable template. For Memphis, the focus will likely shift to how the Grizzlies spread opportunities around Boozer after a performance like 21 points and eight rebounds, and whether the team can turn strong individual outings into more collective scoring runs.

Taken together, Monday’s matchup offered a straightforward takeaway: Dallas found enough production through multiple players to overcome an absence, while Memphis got a premium showing from its top young talent. The result sets an early tone for both rosters, but the broader lesson will be measured by whether these roles solidify and improve as summer league continues.