After a rough month in March with a 6-10 record and finishing the month losing three games in a row, the Grizzlies were hopeful that April would bring change. However, there was no change as they continued their slide down the Western Conference standings in their nine-point loss to the Golden State Warriors on April 1st.
The loss marked their 4th in a row and their seventh loss in their last eight games. It also marked their 12th consecutive loss to teams with a .500 and above record, which now spans two months since their last victory over such a team.
Firing former head coach Taylor Jenkins hasn't proven well so far as the same issues with defensive lapses and offensive slumps have continued in their three games since the move. There were some positive signs of life the team presented against the Warriors but moral victories won't help them regain their early season success.
Memphis is 0.5-game from falling into the Play-In Tournament
For much of the second half of the regular season, the Grizzlies were looked at as a team that would be one and done in the playoffs. The play-in tournament seemed like a farfetched idea as they were firmly in the group of teams battling for the number two seed.
However, their loss to the Warriors placed them 0.5-game behind them for the fifth seed with the Warriors winning the tiebreaker after winning the season series 3-1. The Minnesota Timberwolves defeated the Denver Nuggets in two overtimes on the same night to tie the Grizzlies (Grizzlies win tiebreaker) for the sixth seed.
The eighth seeded Los Angeles Clippers are lurking behind with a game against the New Orleans Pelicans on tap tonight. A win for the Clippers would trigger a three-way tiebreaker that would push the Grizzlies down to the eighth seed.
The recently projected standings on Basketball Reference have the Grizzlies predicted to finish with the eighth seed in the Western Conference with either a 48-34 or 47-35 record. With a current 44-32 record, the Grizzlies will likely need to win their last six games to avoid the play-in tournament at this stage.
The Memphis Grizzlies have dug themselves a massive hole with the lack of tiebreaker wins as Minnesota is the only team they will have claim to that over. Due to this, they will fall behind in nearly all scenarios, including multiple-team tiebreakers as they are in the scenario stated earlier.
A date with the Miami Heat on the road on April 3rd awaits the Grizzlies as they look to not only snap their losing streak but give themselves a chance at avoiding the play-in tournament.