The postseason is here, and the Memphis Grizzlies will travel to the Chase Center to take on the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Play-In tournament on Wednesday.
The Warriors and Grizzlies ended the regular season with identical records of 48-34 and finished in seventh and eighth place in the Western Conference respectively.
Match preview
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This match marks the third time these two sides will meet in the postseason in the last five years, with the Grizzlies winning the play-in game in 2022, while the Warriors came out on top in the Western Conference semi-final a year later.
Golden State ended the season strongly but will enter this match off the back of a costly defeat to the Clippers 124-119 in overtime on Sunday, which was a result that saw them miss out on a top-six finish.
Stephen Curry scored 36 points and six assists, and Jimmy Butler notched up 30 points and nine assists, while as a team, the Warriors shot 54% from the field and made 15 of their 33 attempts from beyond the arc.
Steve Kerr's side won the season series against this opponent 3-1, but that sole defeat was one of their heaviest of the season, ending with a scoreline of 144-93 back in the middle of December last year.
The Warriors averaged 113.8 points per game in the regular season (17th in the league), but they were much better on the defensive end, allowing 110.5 PPG (eighth overall).
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Meanwhile, the Memphis Grizzlies ended the season on a positive note, beating the Dallas Mavericks 132-97 at the FedExForum on Sunday, which secured them the eighth seed in the West.
With several of their starters left out, Lamar Stevens led the team with a career-high 31 points, while Marvin Bagley III posted a season-high 25 points and 11 assists - his first double-double of the season.
Memphis went on a 27-7 run, which gave them a 36-point lead with just shy of 11 minutes remaining, and they held on to the advantage to post their biggest-ever margin of victory over the Mavs.
The Grizzlies were the second-highest scoring team in the NBA during the regular season, averaging 121.7 points per game, but they were bottom 10 on the other end, allowing 116.9 PPG against.
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Team News
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Stephen Curry was listed as questionable for the match against the Clippers due to a thumb injury, but he featured for 38 minutes in that game and should be fine to start this one.
Draymond Green will need to be at his best this week for the Warriors, given that Memphis prides themselves on winning the rebound battle, ranking third in offensive rebound percentage during the regular season.
The Grizzlies had 10 players listed on their injury report for their match against the Mavericks, and while the likes of Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. should be back here, Brandon Clarke will be forced to sit out the match with a knee issue.
Morant has played a total of 50 games so far this season and averages 23.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, 7.3 assists and 1.2 steals per game on 45.4% shooting from the field and 30.9% shooting from the three-point line.
Golden State Warriors possible starting five:
Butler, Moody, Green, Podziemski, Curry
Memphis Grizzlies possible starting five:
Jackson Jr, Wells, Edey, Bane, Morant
We say: Golden State Warriors to win by 3+ points
The Golden State Warriors were in solid form leading up to the end of the season, and were too good for this opponent during the regular-season series, losing only once in four games.
The Grizzlies have enjoyed an impressive season as well, but given their record in this fixture, we feel they will struggle to beat the Warriors on their home court.
Devesh Jaganath
