DALLAS – A mood of anticipation erupted in the American Airlines Center crowd when Grizzlies star Ja Morant had nothing but blue paint between himself and the rim after stealing the ball near halfcourt midway through the second quarter on Tuesday night.

Fans booed as Morant — who has made countless viral highlights throughout his five-plus-year NBA career — ended the fastbreak with a simple two-handed dunk that wasn’t even hard enough to shake the rim.

“I try not to dunk at all,” Morant said after Memphis’ 121-116 loss to the Dallas Mavericks. “You all think I’m lying. I’m absolutely serious.”

Morant, who has made just three dunks in the 12 games he has played this season, is primarily trying to avoid the spectacular dunks over defenders that have helped him become one of the league’s most popular players.

For Morant, a high-flying 6-foot-1, 174-pound guard who has had durability issues throughout his career, it’s about prioritizing self-preservation.

Last month, he was sidelined for eight games after suffering a posterior hip subluxation and related pelvic strains when he fell awkwardly after being hit while attempting to catch an alley-oop by Los Angeles Lakers backup center Christian Koloko in the Air was pushed.

“Sometimes I get thrown out of the air and (a foul) isn’t called, and now I’m out longer than I should be,” Morant explained of why he doesn’t want to get lost in traffic. “Sometimes the foul is called; I’m still on the floor, but after the game you might feel that little fall. So I just pick and choose, man. Hey, two points are two points. I can do it. That’s all.” Affairs.”

Morant, who averages 22.0 points and 8.6 assists for the 14-8 Grizzlies, understands that fans might feel let down if he routinely finishes drives to the basket or fast breaks. He didn’t mind that Mavs fans booed his admittedly boring dunk on Tuesday night.

“Hey, I’m okay with that. Keep booing me,” Morant said with a smile. “Hey, I got two points. It was still a dunk. It just wasn’t the dunk they wanted to see. But if they boo me for a little rimgrazer, I’m okay with that.”

Morant quickly dismissed a playful suggestion that he might make it up to the fans by making his debut appearance in the All-Star Weekend Dunk Contest.

“If I’m chilling in the in-game, you don’t have to worry about the dunk contest,” Morant said. “Man, my focus right now is doing what I can with the team and continuing to try to get to 100 percent (healthy).”