Memphis Grizzlies: 3 stars from play-in win over the Warriors
The Memphis Grizzlies weren’t given a serious chance to win the play-in game and advance to the NBA playoff bracket proper. Sure they had just beat the San Antonio Spurs in a play-in game, but this was Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors. They weren’t beating a team like this, especially not after Curry smoked them five days before to secure the eighth seed.
Yet the Grizzlies did win, a hard-fought overtime 117-112 victory Friday night. In doing so they knocked Curry out of the postseason, two straight years during his prime that one of the 15 greatest players of all time will not play postseason basketball. Instead, a point guard born over 11 years later will make his playoff debut, surrounded by a team of young, gritty players filling their role.
Who led the Grizzlies to the win? Their star point guard certainly had a major hand in it, but he was not alone. Which three players had the greatest impact on this victory? Honestly, we need six or seven stars to properly convey the strength of this Grizzlies team, their depth, and how it played out on Friday. Shout out to Dillon Brooks who played great defense all night long, and Kyle Anderson who made some excellent plays down the stretch, including a pair of clutch free throws.
Third star for the Memphis Grizzlies: Grayson Allen
Every college basketball fan outside of Durham, NC hates Grayson Allen, whether it is because of the tripping, his air of elitism or the tripping. In the NBA he has been relatively ignored or dismissed despite playing well this season and earning a spot in the starting lineup whenever he was healthy this season.
Allen struggled in the last game against the Warriors this past Sunday, but head coach Taylor Jenkins didn’t hesitate to use him when necessary in this contest. Allen finished with 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting from downtown, none more important than the back-to-back daggers he hit in overtime.
The shooting guard also added four steals as he battled on defense as well. Allen finished a game-high +17 on the night in a game his team won by five points and played a crucial 25 minutes as Jenkins went away from Tyus Jones and De’Anthony Melton.