Nerlens Noel is out of the Dallas Mavericks’ doghouse and back into his coaches’ good graces.
Just two days after being benched for what was supposed to be his first game with his new NBA team, Noel scored 15 points with 17 rebounds and two assists on Friday to lead the Dallas Mavericks to a 104-100 win over the Memphis Grizzlies.
“(Noel) did a good job,” Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. “He was very active. You know, it’s very difficult to out-rebound this team. And when you’ve got a guy putting up 17, it gives you a chance. He was a big part of that, and offensively he was active around the basket.
“He got to the free-throw line a few times, which was good, so he did a very good job.”
The 22-year-old American was acquired by Dallas from Philadelphia at the trading deadline but arrived late for the team plane to Atlanta on Wednesday. That led to Carlisle’s punishment which included bringing Noel off the bench rather than starting him in the Mavs’ 100-95 loss to the Hawks.
On Friday, Noel shot six-of-10 from the field for his second double-double of the season.
“The guys were hitting open shots, so that opened up a lot in the pick-and-roll,” Noel said. “And it was definitely an efficient game for us, so we stuck to our bread and butter. I think it worked out for us to get great and open looks.”
Dallas got a team-high 24 points from shooting guard Seth Curry, and Harrison Barnes added 18 as all five starters scored in double digits.
Mike Conley led the Grizzlies with a game-high 30 points and forward Zach Randolph had 24 points and 10 rebounds.
Former Dallas forward Chandler Parsons continued his struggles with just seven points for Memphis.
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