Mavs roll over rebuilding Grizzlies

A few well-timed bursts were enough to separate from rebuilding Memphis and the Mavericks rolled to a 92-81 victory Friday night before 20,315 fans at American Airlines Center.

The Southwest Division-leading Mavs (34-15) finished up a brisk two-game homestand with their third consecutive win overall and third against the Grizzlies this season. It’s also the 10th straight win over the division foe for Dallas, which begins a two-game East Coast road trip Sunday at New Jersey.

Coming off his first career triple-double, Dirk Nowitzki scored 21 and added six rebounds. Jason Terry, Devean George and Brandon Bass each scored at least 11 off the bench. Jerry Stackhouse, back after a seven-game absence, had an efficient seven points and three assists in 11 minutes.

“He was pretty effective tonight in his minutes,” coach Avery Johnson said of Stackhouse. “Only playing around 12 to 14 and it will be the same probably the next game. We just want to make sure that he is over this issue and we will see how he recovers and if he recovers well, we will see how he feels for Sunday.

“We are definitely going to need him though if we are going to do anything this year.”

Gana Diop had his most effective game in months with 12 rebounds and eight points starting in place of injured center Erick Dampier, who was nursing a sprained right ankle. (Dampier said after the game he hopes to return before the All-Star break.) Diop remained active defensively, protected the basket (two blocks) and finished in the paint, making all four of his shots.

“I’ve been trying to stay ready,” Diop said. “I’ve been doing a lot of extra work. I came in here last night to get an hour just to stay ready, because you know how the West is and they’re going to need me in this game, and you’ve got to stay ready.”