The Memphis Grizzlies head to San Francisco for Game 6 to see if they have one more trick up their sleeves after pulling off the mother of all upsets in Game 5 vs the Warriors.
The Grizzlies were winning by as much as 55 points in Game 5, ultimately winning by 39. They handed Golden State the fifth-worst playoff loss in the history of their franchise.
Memphis may be down in the series 2 games to 3, but two of their losses were by a combined 4 points. There’s plenty of reasons for optimism heading into yet another elimination game.
Memphis Grizzlies outscoring Golden State 566 to 556 through five games
The Grizzlies have looked like the better team for most of this series. It’s a strange twist of fate in that this is a reversal of the team’s first-round matchup vs the Minnesota Timberwolves— a series in which the Wolves looked like the better team, but the Grizzlies managed to somehow escape the series in six games.
The Memphis Grizzlies have played like the better team in the second round vs Golden State, but they’ve allowed the Warriors to sweep in and steal a couple of games.
It looks like the Grizzlies have exorcised those early-series demons after an epic Game 5 win. Ever since Ja Morant went down with a bone bruise in his knee, things felt grim, but this Ja-less iteration of the Grizzlies is 21-6 without their star player.
Here’s why I expect Memphis to keep winning and force a Game 7 back home in Memphis.