The play-in tournament features the teams who finished in seventh to 10th in both Conferences.
They face off to determine who fills the final two spots in their Conference play-offs.
Under the play-in format, seventh play eighth – with the winners going straight into the play-offs. The loser gets a second chance against the winners of an eliminator between ninth and 10th.
The Grizzlies, who finished eighth in the Western Conference, go into the ‘second chance’ game against the Mavericks having lost their first play-in tie, to the seventh-placed Golden State Warriors, in controversial circumstances.
The Warriors secured their play-off spot following a late flurry against the Grizzlies.
However, the NBA has since acknowledged officiating errors in the final moments of the match.
With the Warriors leading 117-116, the NBA’s Last Two Minute Report said the Grizzlies should have been awarded the ball with 7.6 seconds left after Stephen Curry got the last contact on an out-of-bounds play.
It was Curry that then sank two free throws to give the Warriors a 119-116 lead.
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