Preview: Warriors look to eliminate Grizzlies in Game 5 in Memphis

The #2 seeded Memphis Grizzlies have their season on the ropes in the second round. We’re talking about a team that won 56 games, tied for most in franchise history. A team that boasts the services of Ja Morant, a young star player on such a surging career arc that he has already won both Rookie of the Year and Most Improved Player in his first three seasons. This is a squad that was supposed to be a dynasty in the making already!

But the #3 seeded Golden State Warriors have all those hopes and dreams in deep trouble, holding a 3-1 chokehold over a Grizzlies team that has found themselves in the hunt of every single game so far. Except for the one in which they gave up 142 points in and lost by 30.

Apparently Morant won’t be available for Game 5 in Memphis. That’s terrible news for Grizzlies’ fans looking to survive against a Warriors team that is reactivating championship habits on the fly.

Morant was averaging 38 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 assists over the first three games of the series. Those numbers almost look fake! But they are real...as real as the dangerous deficit the Grizzlies are in right now. Can they survive at home in an elimination game after just losing a contest where they held the Mike Brown-coached Warriors to 40% shooting from the field (24% from beyond the arc)?

If the Dubs win this game, they’ll put themselves in prime position to await the winner of the Suns-Mavericks series (Phoenix currently leads 3-2). Golden State is -170 on the money line, per DraftKings.

Golden State Warriors @ Memphis Grizzlies

May 11th, 2022 | 6:30 PT

Watch: TNT | Listen: 95.7 The Game