The Utah Jazz vs Memphis Grizzlies match up was a lot more competitive than the final scores would indicate. Game five was the only true wire-to-wire victory for the NBA’s number one overall seed. This series had everything you could ask for from a one-eight matchup; drama, historic performances, and comebacks!
Utah Jazz vs Memphis Grizzlies: NBA Playoffs Recap
Memphis Strikes First
In a last-minute surprise, all-star guard Donovan Mitchell was ruled out for game 1 after being previously listed as available.
Utah Jazz All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell isn’t expected to play vs. Memphis in Game 1 tonight, sources tell ESPN. Mitchell has been working toward his return from a sprained right ankle.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 23, 2021
Now, the Grizzlies had an opportunity to steal homecourt. The wind was knocked out of Utah with the sudden loss of their star, so Memphis had to take advantage if they wanted any shot in this series.
With just over nine minutes remaining in the second quarter of Game 1, Utah was already up 29-17 and the Grizzlies looked overmatched. Just as quickly as the Jazz took that double-digit lead, the Grizzlies got one of their own right back. Over the next ten minutes, Memphis would go on to outscore Utah by 21 points and take a 53-43 lead and they never looked back. Mitchell’s absence was glaring for Utah but rest assured, he returned and played in each of the remaining games.
History is Made
The Grizzlies’ hopes in this series were slim to none with the return of Mitchell. Memphis was down 20 points at halftime of game 2 despite Ja Morant‘s 22 points. Memphis managed to make it a one-possession game after a crazy 37-19 run. Despite Morant’s historic 47 point performance, the series was tied heading to Tennessee.
Jazz vs Grizzlies; Game Over
The rest of the series was not as intriguing as the first two games but was still filled with highlights galore including this crazy block from DPOY favorite Rudy Gobert! The Jazz showed off a lot of their strengths in this series, from Gobert’s defense to Mitchell’s scoring acumen, Utah will not go down easy.
The Jazz face the winner of the Los Angeles Clippers and Dallas Mavericks.
RUDY GOBERT
I love the fact Ja Morant tested him. What a block by the DPOY pic.twitter.com/XgbuA3KI29
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) May 27, 2021
Main Image: Embed from Getty Images
