Mavs head coach Rick Carlisle says Memphis played “with more force” than Dallas.

After the Dallas Mavericks came out on top with a nine-point win against the third-seeded Indiana Pacers, the Mavericks were decimated by the Memphis Grizzles.

Dallas loss by 30 at home. Carlisle said that the Grizzles played with a higher level of “force” and were more physical than the Mavericks. Because of that heightened level of physicality, the Mavericks seemed unable to knock down shots and the stats reflect that.

The team shot 30.6 percent from the field and 17.5 percent from the three-point line. The Mavericks head coach credited it to not only the Memphis’ level of play, but also his players not hitting open shots.

“We need to play with more force and, obviously, we need to make more shots,” Carlisle said.

He said Memphis had the “advantage” the entire game and the Mavericks had “no answer” for their problem that night.

Carlisle added that he was able to learn a little more about his players in this loss. There were no huge “revelations,” but was able to see some players get some more playing time. He ended by saying “we all fell short tonight, bottom line.”

The city of Dallas should not be discouraged by this loss because there are nights where a team will have your number or the ball won’t fall for you. It happens.

There was a single bright spot that everyone should be elated about though: rookie sensation Luka Doncic. While the Grizzles hard-nose play made the rookie shoot 1 of 8 from behind the arch, he still had a team high of 22 points and shot 50 percent from the field. We even saw Doncic with two steals and blocks, showing he can be as effective on the defensive side as he is on the offensive side.

Video: Fanatics View