MEMPHIS – It was all cheers Wednesday night at FedExForum after Game 5 as Memphis avoided elimination to keep its season alive, however the road doesn’t get easier as they now trail 3-2.
” I think the focus is being determined. They told me to keep challenging them like I did going into this game. That’s the mentality, want to carry going into another down 3-2 game,” said Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins.
Leaving it all on the court for Memphis in Game 5 was Ja Morant who finished with 31 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists, as Desmond Bane lead all scores with 33 points and 10 rebounds. It was the first time that both scored 30 or more points in the same playoff game.
” The staff really challenged me before Game 4 to find my aggression and to really be aggressive,” said Desmond Bane.
” When I get downhill there’s a lot of passes I can make, and when we watched the film as a team, coach brought that up,” said Ja Morant. ” Des and I were getting downhill, we were hitting guys and we made shots and it opened up a lot for us”.
History still not favoring the Grizzlies, as it’s only happened 13 times that a team has advanced after trailing 3-1 in a series. However, the short-term goal is to win one game in Los Angeles, where they are 0-4 this season.
” There’s no celebration whatsoever after having a nice victory, we know we have to go win on the road,” said Jenkins. ” We haven’t won a game on the road and it’s been a minute, especially in the playoffs and we’ve got to go do it, ” said Jenkins.
Game 6 is set to tip-off at 9:30 pm in Los Angeles from Crypto.com Arena.