The Memphis Grizzlies are back in the playoffs for the first time since 2017. Marc Gasol won’t be present, Zach Randolph has officially retired, Tony Allen hasn’t played in a long time, and Mike Conley will be suiting up for Memphis’ first-round opponent, the Utah Jazz. A 21-year old second-year guard is the leader on this team, and he showed up in one of the biggest games of his young career.
That’s right, Ja Morant put on a show and sealed the victory in OT of the NBA’s play-in elimination game against the Golden State Warriors, 117-112.
After defeating the Spurs on Wednesday, Morant said the team planned to pack for a three-game road trip having confidence his team would make the playoffs. Those were bold words and he backed it up in an emphatic way.
Morant showed poise from the start, and the young star isn’t afraid to play against any team. He put on another breakout performance like he did in last season’s play-in tournament elimination game against the Portland Trailblazers. The Murray State alum finished with a team-high 35 points, six rebounds, six assists to go along with four steals in 45 minutes of play. Morant also connected on a career-high 5 of 10 from the three-point line.
Morant and company heard the noise that most thought the team had absolutely no chance to upset the Warriors inside the Chase Center. The team proved the NBA world wrong again by eliminating both the San Antonio Spurs and the Golden State Warriors in the second season of a team rebuild.
Morant spoke to ESPN’s Rachel Nichols after the game.
The real Grizzlies bench showed up and showed out.
Earlier on Friday, I stated in a play-in preview, “Simply put, Memphis cannot and will not win this game if there’s not a good performance from its bench.” And the bench players came up huge after being outworked in the past two games against the Warriors last Sunday and the Spurs on Wednesday.
The second unit had 40 points behind Grayson Allen, Xavier Tillman Sr., and Desmond Bane. With that performance, the Grizzlies bench proved why they were a top-10 bench in the league during the regular season.
In 25 minutes, Allen finished with 12 points, four rebounds, and four steals plus some big three-point shots during the overtime period. Allen went 4 of 5 from beyond the arc.
Tillman played 23 minutes and chipped in 11 points, seven rebounds, and three steals. Tillman was huge for Memphis on both ends of the floor and was one of the reasons for the win. The rookie put on a great performance before a national audience after Jonas Valanciunas fouled out and Jaren Jackson Jr. was on the bench.
Rookie Desmond Bane played the most minutes of the second unit at 29; he added 10 points, four rebounds, and two assists. When most of the bench was struggling, Bane had the trust of the coaching staff to be on the court with the starters.
Analysis
This truly is a remarkable story for the Memphis Grizzlies to make the playoffs in the second year of a rebuild after defying all the odds and overachieving with the deck stacked against them.
Memphis should be proud of this team’s resilience and poise.
Up Next
The Grizzlies will take on Conley and the Utah Jazz in the first round of the Western Conference Quarterfinals in the NBA Playoffs. Here is the schedule:
Note: All times are Central.
Game 1: Sunday, May 23 | Grizzlies at Jazz, 8:30 p.m on TNT
Game 2: Wednesday, May 26 | Grizzlies at Jazz, 9 p.m on TNT
Game 3: Saturday, May 29 | Jazz at Grizzlies, 8:30 p.m. on ESPN
Game 4: Monday, May 31 | Jazz at Grizzlies, 8:30 p.m on TNT
Game 5: Wednesday, June 2 | Grizzlies at Jazz, TBD (if necessary)
Game 6: Friday, June 4 | Jazz at Grizzlies, TBD (if necessary)
Game 7: Sunday, June 6 | Grizzlies at Jazz, TBD (if necessary)
