Just when it appeared as though the Dallas Mavericks’ hopes to advance to the knockout rounds of the NBA Cup were gone, they were well and alive. After trailing by eight points with a little over three minutes left,

Dallas has now won nine of their last ten games and advanced to the knockout round of the NBA Cup, owning the point differential over the Phoenix Suns, thanks mostly to the large win over the Pelicans a few weeks ago. This team is playing its best basketball of the season and will carry that into the knockout stage next week.

The Grizzlies (14-7) are in action on Tuesday on the road against the Dallas Mavericks. Memphis has won six games in a row and risen to No. 3 in the Western Conference. Dallas (13-8) has won four in a row and eight of its past nine games.

SportsLine's model has simulated the Memphis Grizzlies vs. Dallas Mavericks 10,000 times and revealed its 2024 NBA Cup picks for Tuesday

The Memphis Grizzlies visited the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday for a crucial NBA Cup game. A win by either team will keep its hope alive to punch a ticket to the knockout round.

For as sturdy as Dallas has been defensively, the Mavericks have struggled inside the arc. Jason Kidd’s team is giving up 28 twos per game — ranking them in the back half of the league — and Jackson has been a dynamo around the rim, hitting 61.1% of his twos.