The Grizzlies beat the Mavericks 112–108.

MEMPHIS. It looks like the Mavericks are back in first place thanks to an intoxicating formula for winning games without their superstars.

They had the Memphis Grizzlies cornered and were poised to repeat last month’s win in Utah without Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.

But the Grizzlies arrived late and received a clutch from former TCU standout Desmond Bain and rookie David Roddy, who took the Mavericks 112-108 at the FedEx Forum.

The Mavericks drew on the energy and enthusiasm of Josh Green and Jaden Hardy, an experience that would serve the younger players well in the future as they built an 88–77 lead early in the fourth quarter.

But costly mistakes at a crucial moment doomed the Mavericks.

“I feel like we gave ourselves a good chance to win the game,” said Hardy, a 22-point rookie. “A couple of bad losses on my end during the stretch, but I feel like overall we played hard and gave ourselves a chance without our two best dogs.”

Tied at 104 after Hardy’s cold-blooded three-pointer with two minutes left, the Mavericks were in trouble. Dillon Brooks hit one of two free throws, but Hardy lost the ball off his foot on the drive. He then dribbled on the next possession, but threw the ball out of bounds on the shot.

When Bain, who ended the game with a game-best 25 points, hit a three-pointer with a minute left, it was 108–104, the Grizzlies. The Mavericks were unable to catch up on the last possession.

“We had a few losses and we just fouled too much there in the fourth round,” said coach Jason Kidd.

The Mavericks looked great in the third quarter early in the fourth as they got the lead from Tim Hardaway Jr. with 23 points and Greene with 21.

“We came out third and were ready to play,” Green said. “We played hard and moved the ball, playing really selflessly.

“And then going into the fourth quarter, it’s one of those situations where for us young guys it’s a good lesson, but at the same time, we need to make sure we’re ready for the fourth quarter and that we finish the game and come out with a win.” .

It also gives these young guys more appreciation for what Irving and Doncic do on a regular basis.

“It’s really hard,” Hardy said, “to be like those guys when they come in and how (hard) it is there.”

Green said: “We have two of the best players in the world, you have to sacrifice something. And it suits me completely. It’s about how I can help the team work and make it work. It will work. There is no doubt about that.”

The Mavericks fell to 34–34 as they lost both ends of that broken trip that began Wednesday in New Orleans and allowed them to travel to Dallas for a day between games.

The Grizzlies (40-26) hold the second-best home record in the NBA, but the Mavericks used a big splash late in the third quarter to scare them.

But Memphis got a good run from Roddy, who was 23rd.^rd project selection. His failure put the Grizzlies up 104–101 to Hardy’s 3-pointer. Roddy finished with 24 points.

The only other time since the Mavericks acquired Irving that they didn’t have at least one of their stars was against Utah on February 6, the day the deal became official and the day before Irving joined the team.

In that game, Hardy and Green scored 29 points each, while Dwight Powell grabbed 16 rebounds. The Mavericks won 124–111.

That night gave the Mavericks a plan for how to play without their stars.

“It gives us something to lean on, understanding on the road and the ability to play with these guys,” Kidd said before the game.

But the Grizzlies were in a bit of a bad mood considering they didn’t have Ja Morant. And no matter what problems they’ve had lately, they remain a terrific team on their home field, with or without Moran.

The Mavericks were trailing for most of the first half, but never by more than nine points, as both teams clearly lacked an attacking shot.

What the Mavericks excel at is offensive rebounding. At the end of the first half, they picked up the ball twice, which led to a three-pointer from Davis Bertans.

This seemed to fire them up as they started the second half with an 8-3 rush to get to 59-58.

The Mavericks started with rookies Jaden Hardy and Josh Green instead of Irving and Doncic.

Both provided power for the Mavericks. But there’s no way to replace the performance you’re losing by having two All-Stars idle.

However, Hardy and Green did their best, and for the first time since the first quarter, they gave the Mavericks a lead, and in the fourth quarter, they took an 83–77 lead.

Twitter: @ESefko