The Grizzlies had been mealtime fodder for the Dallas Mavericks for so long that Sunday afternoon seemed like one of those days when the weak became strong.

"They saw our teeth bared a little bit, which is what we're trying to get out of our guys," Griz coach Marc Iavaroni said, agreeing with the bully parallel after his team outworked, out-hustled and out-executed the Mavs before leaving FedExForum with a 102-82 win.

In snapping a four-game losing streak overall, the Griz emphatically ended a string of 13 consecutive defeats to the Mavs with their largest margin of victory this season.

Dallas' point total was one point more than its season low. The Mavs conceded defeat in every facet of the game.

The Griz even made the Mavs' strength their own. Dallas entered as the NBA's best in rebounds (45.3 rpg) - a category Memphis ranks last in at 38.5. But the Griz earned a 43-34 edge on the glass, including 12 offensive boards that allowed them to outscore the Mavs 26-12 in second-chance points. Memphis also led scoring in the paint 48-32, and held the Mavs to 42-percent shooting.

"They battled hard and came out like a team that was tired of losing games," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. "They had answers for everything we were doing. You have to give them credit."

Eye candy for Iavaroni was the Grizzlies' effort from the start. They jumped on the Mavs with deft shooting (67 percent) and strong rebounding while building a 12-point lead in the opening period.

The Griz missed 10 of their first 11 shots to start the second quarter, one of the main reasons their lead was 50-45 at halftime. Memphis never appeared jolted, even when the Mavs made a run and took a 58-55 lead in the third period.

Both teams began to exchange baskets until the Griz regained momentum and took a 76-68 lead into the final quarter.

The Griz, diving for loose balls and making extra passes, outscored Dallas 26-14 in the fourth. The Griz led 95-80 when O.J. Mayo scooped up a loose ball and found Warrick for a dunk with 3:39 left.

"We'll see them one more time this season," Dallas' Jason Terry said. "We won't forget this game."

Rudy Gay worked his way out of a shooting slump, going 9-of-17 from the field en route to 18 points, seven rebounds and four assists. All of the Grizzlies' double-digit scorers - Warrick, and rookies Mayo and Marc Gasol - were efficient on offense.

Mayo made five of eight shots from beyond the three-point arc. His final 3-pointer gave the Griz a 22-point lead with 28 seconds left.

"Everybody played well together," Iavaroni said. "We ended up shooting the ball well. O.J. had a good game from three, and that happens to be a big part of our success. It makes everything better confidence-wise and efficiency-wise."

Gasol didn't score in the second half but made eight of 14 shots.

"I just felt like I was in good position to score," said Gasol, who scored the Grizzlies' first seven points and nine of their first 11.

Three Mavs starters - Jason Kidd , Erick Dampier and Devean George - combined to score just five points on 1-of-6 shooting. Dirk Nowitzki led the Mavericks with 28 points, 22 in the first half

The Griz did a better job in the second half of forcing Nowitzki to take difficult shots. Trying to slow Nowitzki was a host of Grizzly defenders that included Gay, Gasol, Warrick and rookie Darrell Arthur .

"They collapsed a little more," Nowitzki said. "Any time somebody scores 22 points (in a half), you have to make adjustments. We just didn't get in a rhythm in the second half."

The Griz stayed mentally tough in this one.

Iavaroni told his assistants not to mention the fourth quarter, when the Mavs seized control midway through the third. He didn't want players thinking about their recent struggles to protect leads.

It worked.

"We didn't put our heads down," Warrick said. "We knew as the game went on they were going to make their run. We just wanted to keep at it, keep playing our defense and knowing our rotations."

Dallas had one field goal in the final four minutes.

"We put our will on this game," Griz point guard Kyle Lowry said. "We showed we can play defense for 48 minutes. We came out more intense."

- Ronald Tillery: 529-2353