The Memphis Grizzlies got their groove back in Game 2 after a disastrous start to the 2022 NBA Playoffs in Game 1.
The Grizzlies, powered by a near triple-double from Ja Morant, balanced scoring and a huge helping hand from the bench, recorded their biggest playoff win in franchise history on April 19.
Memphis’ 124-96 win officially broke the team record for largest margin of victory in a playoff game (+28), according to Grizzlies PR.
Let’s get into some takeaways from the big Game 2 win, which ties the series at 1-1.
No 5. The referees were out of control in Q1 of Memphis Grizzlies Game 2
The NBA officiating crew called EVERY. SINGLE. ticky tack foul in the first quarter of the Grizzlies.
As a result, Steven Adams logged all of three minutes before he was benched for the rest of Game 2.
Jaren Jackson, Dillon Brooks, and Ja Morant joined Adams in being called for two fouls apiece in the first half. Brandon Clarke, who took over for Adams, finished the first half with three fouls. It was an extremely frustrating first quarter of basketball for Memphis.
All of the start-stop fouling caused the entire flow of the game to be disrupted. It wasn’t until a few minutes into the second quarter that the Grizzlies hit their stride and began to pull away from Minnesota after holding a 33-32 lead after one.