The Golden State Warriors and Memphis Grizzlies will add another chapter to what has become a heated rivalry on Tuesday, as the teams are set for yet another postseason clash in the first round of the NBA play-in tournament.
Memphis and Golden State previously met in the 2022 Western Conference semifinals. The Warriors edged out the Grizzlies in six games, but the series didn’t pass without controversy. With the series tied 1-1 and the Grizzlies trailing late in the fourth, Jordan Poole infamously grabbed at Ja Morant’s knee during a scrum for a loose ball. Morant was subsequently ruled out for the series with a bone bruise, which led to the somewhat iconic “broke the code” tweet.
The two teams played in a heated contest just a few weeks ago on April 2, in which Steph Curry and Morant had a viral moment trash-talking each other after Morant pointed his finger guns at the Warriors’ bench. The Warriors won that meeting, 134-115, and won the season series 3-1.
How Golden State Got Here
Not even two weeks ago, the Warriors (48-34) seemed like bonafide contenders in the Western Conference after beating Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets, 118-104, for their fifth consecutive win.
Since that game on April 4, the Warriors have lost three of their last five games to fall from a secure No. 5 seed in the West to the play-in bound No. 7 seed. Golden State’s skid began with a heated 106-96 loss to the Houston Rockets on April 10. Curry was limited to just 3 points in 33 minutes of action, shooting 1-of-10 from the field overall and 1-of-8 from 3-point range in the loss. The Warriors also suffered a far-from-encouraging loss to the 34-win San Antonio Spurs during this stretch.
With the No. 6 seed and a free pass to the playoffs on the line against the Clippers on Sunday, Curry said he was expecting the Warriors to treat it like a Game 7. They did. The problem was, the Warriors still lost despite a 36-point performance and a late flurry from Curry. Jimmy Butler also appeared to tweak his ankle in the closing minutes of overtime, though the Warriors reported no injuries ahead of Tuesday’s play-in game.
How Memphis Got Here
As late as February 22, the Memphis Grizzlies (48-34) were the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. On March 25, Memphis held the No. 4 seed in the West with a 44-28 record, one game ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers.
On March 28, the fifth-place and sliding Grizzlies made arguably the second-most shocking move of the NBA season when they fired head coach Taylor Jenkins with a 44-29 record and nine games remaining. The Grizzlies then lost five of nine to end the regular season and tumbled to an eighth-place finish in the Western Conference.
Morant paced the Grizzlies offense during the regular season with a team-high 23.2 points and 7.3 assists per game. Jaren Jackson Jr. trailed just behind Morant at 22.2 points per game while also serving as the team’s defensive anchor. Rookie Zach Edey also made a quick impact for the Grizzlies this season and led the team with 8.3 rebounds per game.
Key To The Game
Curry. But aside from the obvious, rebounding. The Grizzlies are the second-best rebounding team in the NBA and should be able to control the glass and the inside post against an undersized Warriors team. That could be especially damning for the Warriors in the event Curry and company go cold from the field.
