Ja Morant, Grizzlies hold off Steph Curry, Warriors in OT thriller for No. 8 seed in Western Conference
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Maybe it was a good sign Ja Morant made his first two 3-pointers. After his third in the third quarter, he lifted his finger to shush the crowd at Chase Center.
The Memphis Grizzlies didn’t play scared of facing elimination Friday. They came out bold to match the Golden State Warriors not wanting to lose at home. Morant matched Stephen Curry with his shooting.
It took overtime to decide things and Morant rose up for a floater with 4.5 seconds left. He made it and furiously bobbed his head in celebration while Dillon Brooks embraced him.
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Fans started to leave and the Grizzlies won 117-112 to end a four-year playoff drought and advance as the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference playoffs.
A 10-point Grizzlies fourth quarter lead faded on Warriors free throws and questionable decisions. A foul on Desmond Bane went unchallenged by the Grizzlies despite Juan Toscano-Anderson kicking out his leg on a 3-pointer.
He made all three and Curry tied the game with a pair. Then the Grizzlies, on their final possession of regulation, didn’t call timeout and got a shot-clock violation on a missed 3-pointer by Xavier Tillman.
Draymond Green missed a game-winning shot in regulation. But it didn’t matter as the Grizzlies stayed tough, trusted Morant and their defense to finish things off.
Morant finished with 35 points, six rebounds and four steals. The Grizzlies became the youngest team to make the playoffs since the 2011 Oklahoma City Thunder.
It was the type of gritty, disciplined play the Grizzlies showed winning six of their last seven games. Curry had 39 points but Dillon Brooks helped keep his check most of the game.
The Warriors wore their throwback “We Believe” era uniforms, a nod to their second round playoff run as an No. 8 seed in 2007. But it was the Grizzlies playing the role of underdog as they now look towards facing the Utah Jazz on Sunday.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Ja Morant, Grizzlies hold off Steph Curry, Warriors in OT thriller for No. 8 seed in Western Conference