The Memphis Grizzlies grabbed their third win in a row Tuesday night against the Charlotte Hornets, coming away with a 124-100 victory.
The playoff race in the Western Conference is extremely tight, and final seeding won’t be determined until all the regular season games have been played.
The Grizzlies have fallen from the second seed, where they spent most of the season before the all-star break, to the seventh seed with this win.
There are four teams, including Memphis, with a 47-32 record: the Denver Nuggets, the Los Angeles Clippers, and the Golden State Warriors.
The teams in seventh through tenth place at the end of the season will compete in the So-Fi Play-In Tournament to determine who ultimately takes the seventh and eighth seeds in the actual playoffs.
The Grizzlies took ownership of the game in the first quarter, outscoring the Hornets 33-18, and set the tone for the rest of the game. Memphis forced Charlotte into giving up 13 points off 7 turnovers in the opening stanza.
Turnovers again had a huge impact on a Grizzlies game, but this time in Memphis’ favor, as they cored 25 points off the Hornets’ 15 turnovers while only giving up 16 points off their own 14 turnovers.
The second quarter was marked by one of the scariest moments I have seen in a game. Rookie Jaylen Wells was driving to the basket for a dunk when he was crashed into from behind by Charlotte guard KJ Simpson, knocking him to the ground and forcing him to land on his head and neck.
Wells was immediately surrounded by medical personnel from both teams and was taken away via stretcher and transported to a nearby hospital.
Per league policy, the game was delayed for roughly 25 minutes until another ambulance and paramedic crew arrived on site.
Simpson was ejected from the game for a flagrant foul, penalty 2, which is described as unnecessary and excessive contact committed by a player against an opponent.
It was later announced that Wells had a broken wrist and would miss the remainder of the season. Prior to this injury, he played in every game this season and has been invaluable for this Memphis team.
The Grizzlies continued to dominate for the rest of the game, led by their big three of Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Desmond Bane.
They led by as many as 29 points and outscored the Hornets 61-56 in the second half.
By The Numbers:
Ja Morant led all scorers with 28 points, and added 5 rebounds, 8 assists, and 1 block.
Desmond Bane scored 19 points, plus 5 rebounds, and 3 assists.
Zach Edey put up 17 points, grabbed 19 rebounds, and had 3 steals and 1 block.
Edey has had 40 rebounds in the past two games, a feat only achieved by a rookie one other time in league history: Shaquille O’Neal.
Jaren Jackson Jr. finished the night with 14 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 steals.
Santi Aldama led the bench with 11 points, adding 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals.
Scotty Pippen Jr. put up 10 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block.
Who Got Next?
The Grizzlies are returning home on Thursday to face the Minnesota Timberwolves. The game is a must-win for the Grizzlies as they fight for playoff position. Tip-off is at 8:30 PM CDT.
