The Grizzlies completed a two-legged victory over the Mavs with a second-half rout

The Mavericks learned the hard way that subtracting two superstars would do more harm than subtracting one.

Without their two weightlifters, they gave the Memphis Grizzlies everything they wanted before losing on Saturday.

A very different story happened Monday at the American Airlines Center when the Mavericks lost in the third quarter and early in the fourth, ultimately losing to the Grizzlies 104–88.

Two losses in three days to Memphis dropped the Mavericks to 34–35 for the first time since they were 15–16 under .500 in December.

The Grizzlies (41-26) got 23 points from Desmond Bain and 19 from David Roddy, the same pair that stung them in Memphis on Saturday.

The Mavericks scored 28 points from Jaden Hardy and 23 from Josh Green. But there wasn’t enough strength elsewhere to stick with Grizz.

For the second game in a row, the Mavericks were left without Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. The Grizzlies were without Ja Morant but had enough of their regulars to run away in the second half. Given the lack of star power, this is probably not what ESPN was hoping for in one of its national telecasts.

The 88 points were the Mavericks’ second-lowest of the season, trailing only the 87 they scored in Orlando in November.

With notable absentees, either team’s failure to take charge early may have been predictable.

They played a close game Saturday in Memphis, with the Grizzlies taking a 112–108 win.

The Mavericks couldn’t afford another such result in the Western Conference’s crowded tournament list.

Again, they leaned on their youths to pick up the slack left by their superstars sitting on the bench in streetwear.

Jason Kidd has a list of questions he would like answered before the playoffs. But anything related to Jaden Hardy, he could probably cross off his list based on the statement the rookie made in his first two NBA games.

With 22 points in Memphis on Saturday, Hardy had a sensational start on Monday.

“Look at Hardy, he answered,” Kidd said ahead of Monday’s rematch with Memphis. “Also, can he play the big game. We’ll get this answer here when there are 14 games left. As soon as next season starts, we will need to know those answers.”

So a very similar 16 points to Luka in the first quarter showed Kidd that Hardy can handle the difficult situations that come his way.

Yes, there will be mistakes, all beginners make them. But when they come from aggression, they are a little more tolerant.

However, Hardy provided very little help in the first quarter when no other Mavericks had more than two points and the Mavericks trailed 29–25.

But that would correspond to the biggest lead in the first half. Neither side went on any major runs and the Mavericks went on hiatus with a 50–49 lead.

The third quarter was not kind to the Mavericks. They were 11 points behind, although they had chances. Josh Green received the stickiness award when he attempted a dunk to the front of the rim. He grabbed and bounced off a free ball, then got up and converted a harder lay to make amends.

But the Grizzlies pulled ahead and stayed there.

Twitter: @ESefko