The West’s eighth seed is a narrow race, but the Memphis Grizzlies intend to hold on tight. Following the All-Star break, the team’s tough schedule has led some to predict their falling out of contention. Adamant to prove critics wrong, the Grizzlies won their second straight 39+ point win on the road Wednesday night, making history along the way.

Memphis’ rout of the Brooklyn Nets saw them improve their record once again to .500, further enabling a stronger hold of the final playoff spot. Rookie of the Year frontrunner Ja Morant finished the game with 15 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists Meanwhile, Josh Jackson led the team with 19 points off the bench.

The struggling Nets, on the other hand, fall to 27-34 and are in danger of dropping the East’s seventh seed. Forward Taurean Prince led the team with 15 points. Subsequently, Caris LeVert — who made headlines after a jaw-dropping  51-point performance against the Celtics — was cold all night, shooting only 6-of-19 from the field.

With a current 31-31 record, the Grizzlies have regained their footing after losing half of their last ten games. Their battle is far from over however, with the spot still being tightly contested.

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The Sacramento Kings have been the biggest surprise, skyrocketing to the ninth spot after winning seven out of their last ten matchups. Portland is close with only 0.5 games behind, while San Antonio is struggling to keep at their historic playoff streak. Perhaps with rookie Zion Williamson’s continuing dominance, however, many have their eyes on the New Orleans Pelicans as a probable surprise contender.

Nevertheless, with all the speculations, Memphis can only focus on overcoming one obstacle after another, especially with their road trip continuing Friday on the seventh-seeded Dallas.