Subscribe
Follow Us
The Memphis Grizzlies have officially clinched a spot in the NBA Play-In Tournament following a 117-109 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Friday night at Ball Arena. The defeat marked Memphis’ second consecutive loss and dropped the team to 47-33 on the season, locking them into a Play-In berth with their final seeding to be determined on the regular season’s final day.
Jaren Jackson Jr., who posted 18 points, two assists, two blocks and a rebound on 8-of-17 shooting, showed no signs of dwelling on the situation postgame.
“I’m still in the season, so I’m not reviewing s— right now,” Jackson Jr. told The Daily Memphian’s Drew Hill.
Desmond Bane led the Grizzlies in scoring with 24 points, along with six rebounds, an assist and a steal, but Memphis was unable to slow down Denver’s efficient offense down the stretch.
With one game remaining, the Grizzlies sit in eighth place in the Western Conference standings. If the season ended today, they would face the seventh-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves in the opening round of the Play-In Tournament. Memphis trails both the Timberwolves and Golden State Warriors, who are tied at 48-33, and does not hold the tiebreaker against either team.
Grizzlies locked into No. 8 seed as Play-In matchups hinge on crowded West standings
All three teams will play on Sunday afternoon, with seeding scenarios still in flux. The Timberwolves face the Utah Jazz (17-64), the league’s worst team by record. The Warriors take on the Los Angeles Clippers (49-32), who have gone 17-3 in their last 20 games and swept Golden State in the season series. Denver will meet the Houston Rockets (52-29), who have rested starters in recent games, including Friday’s matchup with the Lakers that helped Los Angeles clinch the No. 3 seed.
The Grizzlies will close the regular season at home against the Dallas Mavericks (39-42) on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET. Dallas remains in a tight race for positioning with the Sacramento Kings for the No. 9 seed and could shift in the standings depending on the results.
The NBA Play-In Tournament begins on April 15. In each conference, the No. 7 seed will host the No. 8 seed, with the winner advancing to face the No. 2 seed in the first round of the playoffs. The loser of that game will face the winner of the 9-10 matchup to determine the final playoff spot.
Memphis is locked into the No. 8 seed due to tiebreaker scenarios and will face the No. 7 seed on the road in the opening round of the Play-In Tournament. A win would secure the No. 7 seed and a first-round playoff matchup against the No. 2 seed, while a loss would force a win-or-go-home game against the winner of the 9-10 matchup to determine the final playoff spot.
Jackson Jr.’s remarks reflected a team still focused on the road ahead as the Grizzlies prepare for the high-pressure environment of next week’s Play-In Tournament.
