"We did it. It wasn't pretty, but we fought all the time, we fought back and we won. We got the four wins, but we're going to have to we will be better in the next round”, commented the leader Ja Morant (8 rebounds, 11 assists and 17 pts … at 4/14 on shots) after the meeting.
As of Sunday, his Grizzlies will be opposed in the Western Conference semi-finals to the formidable Golden State Warriors of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, Denver scorers in the first round.
In the lead 84-74 at the start of the last period, the Wolves of Anthony Edwards (30 pts) and Karl-Anthony Towns (18 pts, 10 rebounds) then cashed in their room a terrible 40-22 depriving them of match N .7.
It's the third time in this series that Minnesota players have failed to win despite leading by at least 10 points in the final quarter.
Ja Morant (d) of the Memphis Grizzlies faces Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves in the NBA Conference quarterfinals on April 29, 2022 at Target Center in Minneapolis David Berding GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP
Ja Morant praised the character of his teammates: "There are a lot of players who are like rabid dogs in this team, guys who want to prove things, who have revenge to take".
“We have a mindset that means we are never satisfied and we know the game is not over until the clock shows zeros at the end of the fourth quarter,” also added the point guard, limited by the Wolves defense to four points in the first half.
"We're going to savor this moment tonight in the locker room, and then we're going to turn the page and get ready for Golden State," concluded Morant, named the most improved player a few days ago this year.
Desmond Bane of the Memphis Grizzlies prepares to score against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the NBA Conference Quarterfinals on April 29, 2022 at Target Center in Minneapolis David Berding GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP
Desmond Bane and Dillon Brooks both finished top scorers for Memphis with 23 points apiece, with inside Jaren Jackson Jr adding 18 points and 14 rebounds.
© 2022 AFP