The Memphis Grizzlies avoided being eliminated with the highest score in franchise postseason history.
His star guard Ja Morant cheered from the bench, and made a bet by chanting “Grizz in seven!”.
Jaren Jackson Jr., Desmond Bane and Tyus Jones each scored 21 points for the Memphis Grizzlies, who routed the Golden State Warriors 134-95 on Wednesday night to force a Game 6 in the Western Conference semifinals.
“We have exceeded expectations since we got here,” Bane said. “It almost seems like every time someone thinks we can’t do something, we end up doing it. So I never want to put a limit on what we can do for this team, because anything is possible.”
Dillon Brooks added 12 points for Memphis. Ziaire Williams and Brandon Clarke contributed 11 points apiece, while De’Anthony Melton added 10.
Steven Adams grabbed 13 rebounds, including six offensive.
The Grizzlies were never behind. They put up their best performance so far in this series to get within 3-2, even without Morant, who missed his second in a row with a bone contusion to his right knee.
“We knew what was at stake,” Jackson said. “But we didn’t change anything. We just calmed down, watched the video, understood what we had to learn from the last game and went out there and executed it.”
Memphis improved to 4-11 in games in which it is at risk of being eliminated. He scored 77 points in the first half, the most in franchise postseason history.
In the third quarter, the Grizzlies stretched their lead to 55 points, putting them at risk of surpassing the three biggest blowouts in postseason history.
His 52-point lead after three quarters tied for the most in a playoff game in the past 70 years.
Klay Thompson led Golden State with 19 points, Jonathan Kuminga scored 17, Curry added 14 and Damion Lee and Moses Moody each had 10.
Thompson said they had hoped to kill off the series, but had played “like a shadow of ourselves.”
“It was awful,” Thompson said. “He was embarrassing from the beginning. We didn’t have a great pace. They were more aggressive than us, as you can see from his 30 free throws against our 13”.
Game 6 is scheduled for Friday in San Francisco, where the Warriors have won five straight postseason games and seven straight overall.
