Grizzlies extend the series in blowout game against Golden State without Ja Morant
By: Nina Cray
The No.2 seeded Memphis Grizzlies kept the series alive and forced Game 6 in a blowout win on Wednesday, May 11th with a score of 134-95.
The Grizzlies are still trailing in the series 3-2 and will be taking on Golden State again Friday, May 13th in San Francisco.
Confidence in the team may have been wavering after a defeat that put the Grizzlies down 3-1 in the series followed by the news that Ja Morant wouldn’t be playing – but morale certainly increased after the performance by Memphis Wednesday night.
The Grizzlies set multiple playoff records – in points scored, 3-pointers made and margin of victory.
Leading the offensive was the trio of Jaren Jackson Jr., Desmond Bane and Tyus Jones, all ending with 21 points, but seven Grizzlies players ended with double figures, showcasing the depth and talent of the team.
Many other factors helped Memphis secure this win, including out-rebounding Golden State for the first time this series 55-37, and shooting 30 free throws to Golden State’s 13. Memphis got the most production out of their bench this game and as a team forced 22 turnovers.
By the fourth quarter, Memphis was leading 119-67, and kept pushing until the end, marking the fifth-largest playoff loss in franchise history for the Golden State Warriors.
The high-energy game even had a crowd-pleasing performance by Memphis-born rapper Al Kapone in the fourth quarter.
Kapone’s “Whoop That Trick,” from the movie “Hustle and Flow” by Terrence Howard has become an anthem for the Grizzlies over the years in hot game moments.
The crowd, superstar Ja Morant and even the Warrior’s bench joined the chant.
“They no gonna whoop that trick alone,” Warriors’ forward Draymond Green said. “We gonna whoop that trick together if we’re gonna whoop that trick.”
The Warriors will get another chance to close the series at their home turf on Friday, May 13th at 10PM.
Sources:
Walker, Teresa. May 12th, 2022. NBA. “Grizzlies rout Warriors to avoid elimination, force Game 6.” <https://www.nba.com/game/gsw-vs-mem-0042100235>
Aschburner, Steve. May 2020. NBA News. “5 takeaways from Grizzlies’ blowout win vs. Warriors in Game 5.” <https://www.nba.com/news/5-takeaways-from-grizzlies-blowout-win-vs-warriors-in-game-5>
Morse, Ben. May 12th, 2022. CNN. “‘Awful… embarrassing’: Warriors fall behind by as many as 55 in huge loss to Grizzlies.”
<https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/12/sport/grizzlies-warriors-bucks-celtics-game-5-spt-intl/index.html>
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By: Nina Cray
Memphis Grizzlies’ point guard Ja Morant – who has had a tremendous impact in the Grizzlies vs. Golden State game series – is said to be unlikely to return to the NBA playoffs after an MRI exam revealed the star has a bone bruise in his right knee.
Morant exited the game after the injury in Game 3 vs. Golden State with 6:19 left in the fourth quarter, and did not return for Game 4 on Monday, May 9th where Golden State defeated Memphis in San Francisco 101-98.
The Grizzlies did go 20-5 during the regular season without Morant, securing the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, but it is impossible to ignore the impact Morant has had in the playoffs and in this series vs. Golden State.
In the three games Morant played against Golden State, he averaged 38.3 points, 8.3 assists, 6.7 rebounds and 3 steals. Morant’s averages for his entire 2022 NBA playoff run would be 27.1 points, 9.8 assists, 8 rebounds and 2 steals if this marks the end of his season.
Morant has had trouble with his right knee before, missing nine games in March due to an injury.
Shortly after his injury in Game 3, Morant tweeted – which was deleted afterwards – that Golden State player Jordan Poole “broke the code,” which was a jab in reference to Warriors Coach Steve Kerr who said the same thing after Grizzlies’ Dillon Brooks received a flagrant foul on Warriors’ Gary Payton II in Game 2.
The play resulted in a fractured elbow for Payton II and a Game 3 suspension for Brooks.
While it hasn’t been confirmed that Morant is out indefinitely, it is highly likely and endangers the Grizzlies of being eliminated in Game 5 tonight as Golden State has a 3-1 lead.
Sources:
Wacker, Brian. May 10th, 2022. New York Post. “Grizzlies’ Ja Morant expected to miss remainder of NBA playoffs.” <https://nypost.com/2022/05/10/grizzlies-ja-morant-expected-to-miss-rest-of-nba-playoffs/>
Quinn, Sam & Herbert, James. May 11th, 2022. CBS Sports. “Ja Morant injury update: Grizzlies star doubtful to return during playoffs with bone bruise in right knee.” <https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/ja-morant-injury-update-grizzlies-star-doubtful-to-return-during-playoffs-with-bone-bruise-in-right-knee/>
