Top Takeaways from Warriors vs. Grizzlies with Stephen Curry, Ja Morant Out
The Memphis Grizzlies moved to 18-2 without Ja Morant on Monday night.
The second-place team in the Western Conference easily beat the short-handed Golden State Warriors, who were on the final leg of a five-game road trip.
Klay Thompson and Draymond Green did not play for the Warriors. Golden State is gearing up for a six-game stretch that starts at home on Wednesday against Phoenix Suns in which it will try to hold on to the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference.
Memphis' victory essentially locked it into the No. 2 seed. The Grizzlies are five games ahead of the Warriors. They have a 3-1 head-to-head record over the Warriors that would serve as the first tiebreaker if the teams were to be tied.
Monday's win proved once again that Desmond Bane, Dillon Brooks and others can step up and fill Morant's shoes in the Memphis lineup.
The Grizzlies will not be able to win a title without Morant, but they could win a first-round series with Bane, Brooks and others in starring roles while Morant gets healthier.
Memphis Continues to Win Without Ja Morant
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Memphis' success without Ja Morant on the floor this season speaks volumes of how the franchise built up the roster depth.
Desmond Bane and Dillon Brooks are strong complementary pieces, and Tyus Jones has been a nice fill-in at point guard for Morant.
The Grizzlies have been helped recently by the scoring emergence of De'Anthony Melton off the bench. Melton has five straight games with 15 or more points. He hit the 20-point mark in three of those contests.
Kyle Anderson and Brandon Clarke both added double-digit point totals on Monday, while Steven Adams was two points and a rebound away from a double-double.
Memphis' roster without Morant still has the potential to win a first-round series in the franchise's worst-case scenario.
Getting past a full-strength Golden State squad, or a Luka Doncic-led Dallas Mavericks squad in the second round, is a much tougher task without Morant.
The Grizzlies need to continue to build up their chemistry and confidence without Morant over the next six games in case their star player is not ready to go for the start of the postseason.
Memphis faces road trips to San Antonio, Utah and Denver and a home clash with Phoenix on Friday that should serve as tests for what the current group can do in the worst-case scenario without Morant.
Loss Was Last One Golden State Could Afford in Race for No. 3 Seed
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Golden State has one win in its last seven games.
The Warriors are hanging on to third place by a thread and can't afford the losing streak to continue if they want to secure the No. 3 seed.
The fourth-seeded Dallas Mavericks have an easier schedule down the stretch, and they are expected to pick up a game on the Warriors on Tuesday against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Dallas has to go on the road for four games after Tuesday, but two of those clashes come against the Washington Wizards and Detroit Pistons.
Golden State plays three of its next four games at home, starting with a Wednesday clash against the Phoenix Suns.
Losses to the Suns and then the Utah Jazz on Saturday would place the Warriors on the same side of the Western Conference bracket as Phoenix.
Even if Stephen Curry returns, the Warriors would face a tough battle to win multiple games against the No. 1 seed in a best-of-seven series.
Golden State has to hope the rest gained by Thompson and Green helps it win one of the next two games before an easier stretch appears to close out the regular season.
The Warriors face Sacramento, the Lakers, San Antonio and New Orleans. They could win all of those contests, three of which will be against teams fighting to remain, or get into, the play-in round.
If the losing run continues, even with Thompson and Green in the lineup, the Warriors' playoff ceiling could be one series victory.
Desmond Bane Continued Terrific Shooting Run
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Desmond Bane has been on fire over the last five Grizzlies games.
As StatMuse pointed out, Bane is shooting 56 percent from the field, 58 percent from three-point range and 91 percent from the free-throw line in that stretch.
Bane recorded a plus/minus over 20 in four of the last five games, including a +31 in the win over the Warriors.
Bane's hot shooting streak is a good sign for the Grizzlies with or without Morant. With Morant back, the Grizzlies would have a clear-cut No. 2 scorer to partner the superstar. Without Morant, Bane could take over as the top point producer.
It is worth noting three of the five performances occurred against the Houston Rockets, Indiana Pacers and a depleted Golden State squad.
However, Bane kept up the strong shooting form against the Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks, which is a positive sign for how he could perform against the Suns on Friday night.
Bane can further instill confidence in himself and from the team as a top scoring threat if he plays well over the three-game stretch against Phoenix, Utah and Denver.
