MEMPHIS – The Grizzlies played 32 games this season without star point guard Ja Morant.
None have come with the historically daunting stakes Memphis faces Saturday afternoon.
Trailing 3-0 in their first-round playoff series against top-seeded Oklahoma City, the Grizzlies are likely to be without their franchise catalyst while trying to stave off elimination at FedExForum.
Morant did not attend Friday’s practice and is officially listed as out for Saturday’s game as he undergoes medical evaluation for the hip injury he suffered in Thursday’s 114-108 Game 3 loss. In a series filled with drastic swings through the first three games, the Grizzlies are on the brink of seeing their season come to a frustrating and painful end with a loss in Game 4.
No team in NBA playoff history has rallied from a 3-0 deficit to win a series. Memphis has not been swept in a playoff series since losing in four games to San Antonio in the 2016 postseason.
To keep their season alive, the Grizzlies must find answers against a Thunder team that has been historically dominant each step of the way. Regardless of the mounting injuries and struggles against OKC, the Grizzlies remain eager to find a breakthrough entering Game 4.
“That’s very critical,” forward Jaren Jackson Jr. insisted. “We have to be all locked in on the same page, ready to compete with the same energy. We’re at home again and we should play free. There should be no reason not to play free in that game.”
Saturday’s game comes on the heels of a Game 3 performance that was played to the extremes. The Grizzlies absolutely blitzed the Thunder in the first half Thursday, knocked down 3-pointers, forced turnovers and sprinted to a 29-point lead in the first half. But then Morant was injured on a fastbreak collision with Thunder forward Lu Dort with 3:15 left in the second quarter.
After taking his free throws, Morant was helped to the locker room and did not return. His absence delivered a major emotional blow to the Grizzlies, who squandered a 26-point halftime lead as the Thunder rallied for the second-largest comeback victory in playoff history.
Morant exited Game 3 with 15 points and five assists without a turnover in 15 minutes before the injury. Morant led the Grizzlies in the series, averaging 20 points and five assists despite dealing with a sprained ankle he suffered in the April 18 Play-In Tournament win over Dallas.
That win secured Memphis the No. 8 seed and first-round matchup against OKC. The Grizzlies already entered the playoffs without two key rotation players who recently suffered season-ending injuries in forwards Jaylen Wells (wrist) and Brandon Clarke (knee).
With his ability to create shots in the lane and push the pace to find open teammates, Morant was one of the few players to find some semblance of success against OKC’s top-rated defense.
Facing the Thunder without Morant presents a massive challenge.
“When he’s not on the floor, you miss all the things he can do,” Jackson said. “It’s the gravity he has on offense, you have to account for him at all times. It’s the speed bringing the ball up the floor, his leadership. So, it’s all sorts of stuff you have to pick up when he goes down. I bet it’s tough for him, it’s tough for us. You never want to see your brother go down like that.”
The remaining Grizzlies focused Friday on picking themselves back up to make another stand.
The strategy entering Game 4 is to replicate the initial energy and execution from Thursday’s first half. That’s when Memphis scored 11 points off OKC turnovers, shot 11-for-22 from 3-point range, dished 18 assists, controlled the boards, dominated the paint and led 77-51 at halftime.
The Grizzlies had four players score double figures in that first half, four with at least three rebounds and five with at least two assists. That balance is the blueprint for Saturday.
“You have a little bit of time to pout and feel sorry for yourselves, but then you have to move on and figure out solutions – and that’s what we’re doing,” Grizzlies interim coach Tuomas Iisalo said after Friday’s film session and practice. “What can be easily forgotten is we put ourselves in a good situation initially, doing exactly the things we wanted going into that game. The effort level, focus, the execution was tremendous. It was great to see, and that gives us a lot of hope.”
Any hope the short-handed Grizzlies have of extending the series starts with protecting the ball.
The Thunder are forcing an average of 18.3 turnovers and converting them into 23.3 points per game in the series. Committing mistakes and cashing in on miscues have factored into the largest statistical disparity between the teams through the first three games.
Overall, OKC has won 12 straight games against Memphis in the regular season and playoffs.
“Whether (Morant) plays or not, a key to get the win is to take care of the ball because they’re the best team in the league at forcing turnovers,” guard Desmond Bane said. “We’ve got to be better at that. We watched film and saw we did better in a lot of areas, settling in and getting what we wanted. (Morant) is a big driver of that, but we have a lot of guys who can step up.”
Pippen has been first in line among playmakers to emerged in productive fashion for the Grizzlies. He’s coming off a playoff career high of 28 points along with five assists, five rebounds, three steals and a block in 38 minutes through the highs and lows of Game 3.
The Grizzlies have gone 18-14 in games Morant has missed this season, so they’ve had success before in this situation. But they’re up against an all-time elite opponent this time around.
Pippen joined Iisalo in using the H-word to describe the Grizzlies’ approach to Game 4.
“We still hold that hope,” Pippen assured. “We still have another game. We still have to try to win games. It’s not like it’s over with. We have to have the same mindset of trying to defend homecourt and keep going. We were just competing with these guys. We were just right there.”
The Grizzlies still have a pulse in these playoffs.
And the pride to keep fighting for at least another game.