In a contest that went all the way down to the wire, the Memphis Grizzlies escaped with a 132-126 overtime win against the Boston Celtics, as the team has won 3 of their past 4 games.
In a game that was all about utilizing depth for a Memphis Grizzlies (20-20, home 11-13) squad sitting at No. 10 in Western Conference standings, the team made sure to spoil a dominant 3-point shooting night from Boston Celtics (21-22, 8-15 away) Jaylen Brown alongside Marcus Smart down the stretch.
The Grizzlies had so many players chip in, with some coming up big during the heated overtime bout. In a matchup that saw Jayson Tatum sidelined due to illness, the Grizzlies were cut a slice of grace, as multiple players stepped up to capitalize on the Tatum-less Celtics.
So without further ado, let’s take a look at 3 key players that made it happen for the Grizzlies last night.
Memphis Grizzlies PG Ja Morant
Per usual, Ja Morant showed flashes of greatness down the stretch. He led the team with 29 points, despite going 1-of-7 from beyond the arc on 48% shooting. Morant hadn’t recorded a 20-point game since March 14 in a Grizzlies loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The former 2019 No. 2 overall pick was the catalyst for his team throughout the game, using his athleticism for a couple of highlight-reel dunks on fast breaks. He attacked the lane and made sure to get his teammates involved when in transition by dishing out 9 assists for the game.
Morant is averaging 19.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 7.4 assists for the season.
Memphis Grizzlies G/F Dillon Brooks
Scoring 24 points on 10-of-22 shooting, Dillon Brooks was semi-dominant in what appeared to be a high-volume shooting night for the shooting forward.
Brooks gave this team the energy they needed in the second half and later in the game when both teams went into overtime. He was fearless in transition and made sure to capitalize on any missed shots from the field by attacking the lane on fastbreaks.
Brooks showed a few plays of tenacity on the defensive side of the ball as well, despite surrendering 5 fouls for the game. In all, Brooks showed up to play and that’s all that mattered. He was much needed down the stretch and showed his ability to come up big when it mattered in the win.
Memphis Grizzlies C Jonas Valanciunas
The Memphis Grizzlies center has played phenomenal thus far.
Jonas Valanciunas scored 16 points, going 7-of-10 from the field, and came down with 19 boards for a double-double. He has put up double-doubles in his past 9 games, coming shy of one when he only scored 7 points and 12 rebounds in a win against the Miami Heat.
He had 19 points and 15 rebounds in his last game against the Golden State Warriors on March 20th.
Valanciunas showed dominance in the paint, and it was the kind of dominance the Grizzlies are used to seeing. He was a problem all night for the Celtics front-court and could not be stopped.