Ja Morant, Grizzlies geared up for 4-team fight in Western Conference playoff race

02/17/2025 05:24 PM

The muscle-flexing Memphis Grizzlies are in a tight battle for playoff positioning in the Western Conference. While the downright scary Oklahoma City Thunder have established themselves as the front-runners for homecourt advantage, the race for second place is wide open. Securing that spot could be the difference between a deep playoff run and an early exit for the next five squads. Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. would be better served avoiding the grueling first-round matchups between the middle and getting an NBA Play-In Tournament survivor instead.

Thankfully, the Denver Nuggets (36-19) and both teams in Los Angeles are facing top-six schedules when looking at opponent winning percentages. Unfortunately, the Grizzlies (36-18) have the fourth-toughest remaining schedule after the NBA All-Star break, right behind the Nikola Jokic’s Nuggets. Forget about catching the Thunder (41-10), who face the 13th most difficult slate. Holding off the 31-23 Los Angeles Clippers (5th toughest) and 32-20 Los Angeles Lakers (6th) is more important.

The Houston Rockets (34-21) have the 10th easiest march toward the postseason but were 3-7 over the last 10 games before the league’s hiatus. Still, playoff seeding is never about the regular season numbers; it’s about matchups. The second seed in the Western Conference offers a significant advantage, particularly when considering the gauntlet of first-round matchups for lower seeds. The teams positioned from third to sixth are likely to face grueling battles due to the talent and depth out West.

It’s all hands on deck for the Grizzlies in clearing the runway to the Western Conference Finals.

Memphis would be on upset alert as a third seed. Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. need to avoid the midfield minefield to keep the skeptics quiet. Taylor Jenkins needs to at least get past the second round to keep the lead seat cold, according to some FedEx Forum fans. Avoiding both the Thunder and even the Rockets would be a blessing, as Memphis is a combined 1-5 against those two squads.

While no playoff opponent can be taken lightly, a team coming out of the Play-In will have expended significant energy just to make the postseason. Kevin Durant’s top-heavy Phoenix Suns (26-28) were easily dispatched twice already, both road wins for the Grizzlies. They are 11th, well ahead of Victor Wembanyama’s currently 12th-placed San Antonio Spurs (23-29). Memphis swept that series 3-0 and has two home games remaining against the Suns, already up 2-0.

The Golden State Warriors (28-27) are just above the NBA Play-In cutoff line, tied with the Sacramento Kings, in ninth and tenth respectively. Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and Jimmy Butler are dangerous but it’s doubtful they mesh into a championship unit in mere months. The Dallas Mavericks (30-26) are falling apart after the Luka Doncic trade, literally. Anthony Davis and Daniel Gafford are on the injury report for at least a few weeks. Klay Thompson has been bang up recently as well.

Facing those NBA Play-In squads is preferable to starting the postseason in a series against Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves (31-25) or Kawhi Leonard’s Clippers (31-23). LeBron James and Luka Doncic will not be easy for anyone either, sure. However, with 28 games remaining, the Grizzlies have a half-game lead over the Nuggets and some head-to-head opportunities to create a cushion for that second seed.

The Grizzlies face the Miami Heat (25-28) twice, the Atlanta Hawks (26-29) at home, and the Orlando Magic (27-29) on the road. Four games against the Eastern Conference’s Play-In bound, regular season also-rans cannot be wasted. Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. also have five games against teams with dreams of Cooper Flagg, eight against teams under the NBA Play-In Tournament line, and 13 against other Western Conference contenders.

Memphis will host the Lakers, Mavs, and Warriors in the last month of the regular season. That should give the Grizzlies an upper hand in this four-team free-for-all to secure the Western Conference’s second seed.

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