The Memphis Grizzlies clinched a play-in spot, sights set on 8 seed
The Memphis Grizzlies have had an up and down finish to their season thus far. After taking a couple of disappointing losses in late April and early May, the Grizz have bounced back. At least for the moment.
On Monday, Memphis took down the New Orleans Pelicans, a team that they had to beat in order to gain access to the play-in tournament.
The final score didn’t look too attractive, but it was a really solid win from a Grizzlies team that has been struggling to close lately. Ja Morant had a quiet game scoring, but dished out 12 assists in the contest, a few of which went to Dillon Brooks, who had a team-high 23 points.
The real star of the show, though, was Jonas Valanciunas, who had 20 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 blocks on 9-12 shooting. Most importantly, he finished the game with a +14 in the (=/-) category. Once again, JV looked like the best player on the court.
The Memphis Grizzlies clinched a spot in the play-in tournament with their win against NOP
This win against NOP didn’t just represent a win against a team who could sneak into the play-in tournament and steal their spot — it was a win that sent them into the play-in tournament. No matter how the season finishes, Memphis will be competing for a playoff spot in just over a week.
While this may not seem like a huge accomplishment in a league that will be sending 20 teams to either the NBA Playoffs or NBA play-in tournament, the Grizzlies were not thought of as having much of a chance to make it when Jaren Jackson Jr. out to begin the season.
That said, the team will not be content with their positioning at the moment. Right now, the Grizz sit at the 9th seed, a positioning that would require them to win two consecutive games to gain entry to the NBA Playoffs.
Instead, they’ll want to reach a 7th or 8th seed, where the team only has to win a single game to enter the playoffs. If they reached the 8-seed or higher, they’d also be able to gain entry to the playoffs, even if they lost their first game.
Next. Ja Morant vs. Anthony Edwards was a glimpse into NBA's future. dark
It’ll be a tight finish for the Grizzlies, but if this team can continue to play the way that they have the past few games, their playoff chances may be higher than you think.