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The Best of the Day: May 21st, 2021
See the best of the day in sports from May 21, 2021 including Morant's heroics lifting MEM past GS in OT, a historic pitching duel, and more!
Jed Jacobsohn / AP Images
The ‘Best of the Day’ is a daily PSO original series showcasing the most significant stories, highlights, and facts going on in the land of the NFL, NBA, & MLB every day. Get a recap on EVERYTHING that happened on 5/21 here.
Ja Morant and the Grizzlies earned a hard-fought win over Steph Curry and the Warriors in the play-in tournament to secure the final playoff spot. Morant was brilliant, especially in clutch time, as the young phenom out-dueled Curry to seal the win. His play in big moments is showing that even at such a young age, he already has that killer instinct. Also, a historic pitching duel occurred in Friday’s Yankees-White Sox game, and Ralph Sampson hit the game-winner to send the Rockets to the NBA Finals at the expense of the Lakers on this day in 1986.
Here is the best of the day from May 21, 2021:
Ja Morant’s heroics led Grizzlies over Warriors for the final 2021 playoff spot
The 2021 NBA postseason field is now officially set with the Memphis Grizzlies earning the final spot after defeating the Golden State Warriors Friday night. The Grizzlies were led by explosive second year PG Ja Morant, who’s late-game heroics sealed the 117-112 overtime victory.
The 2019 No. 2 overall pick scored 15 of his 35 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, including his game-sealing shot off a spin move in the paint with 4.5 seconds remaining in the extra frame. It was an all-around excellent performance for the 21-year-old, who recorded six assists, six rebounds, and four steals while hitting 5-of-10 3’s and 14 of his 29 shots overall.
Ja seals the @memgrizz #NBAPlayoffs berth from EVERY ANGLE! 🔥🔥🔥@JaMorant: 35 PTS (15 in 4Q + OT)
— NBA (@NBA) May 22, 2021
📅: MEM/UTA, Sunday, 9:30pm/et, TNT pic.twitter.com/kIpPdhieSo
🔥 @JaMorant comes up HUGE in the #StateFarmPlayIn to send the @memgrizz to the #NBAPlayoffs!
— NBA (@NBA) May 22, 2021
35 PTS
15 in the 4th and OT
📅: MEM/UTA Sunday, 9:30pm/et, TNT pic.twitter.com/bvbgxPUEMU
Morant will be making his playoff debut after the team just missed out on the postseason last year in the bubble. The win over Golden State snaps the Grizzlies’ three year playoff drought, as they are now set face the top-seeded Utah Jazz, who finished the regular season with the league’s best record at 52-20.
This is a disappointing end to the season for the Warriors, who finished as the hottest team in the NBA with six straight victories, only to lose both their play-in tournament games in nail-biting fashion. Steph Curry put on a show and finished with a game-high 39 points while Draymond Green recorded a triple-double (11 PTS/16 REB/10 AST). However, both were a little too loose with the ball, combining for 13 of Golden State’s 21 turnovers. This is now the second straight season the Warriors haven’t made the playoffs, as questions will arise about whether they can ever recapture their dominant play from 2015-19.
Related: Stories of the Day
JA MORANT’S ALREADY SHOWING A MAJOR KILLER INSTINCT AT A VERY YOUNG AGE
In the final play-in game, Ja Morant and Memphis showed up on the road to defeat Golden State. The contest went into overtime, and the Grizzlies had an answer every time Steph Curry and the Warriors made it close. Morant finished the game with 35 points and made consecutive buckets in the final minute to seal the victory. Curry’s 39 points and Draymond’s triple-double ultimately weren’t enough to fend off the young Memphis squad led by Morant’s heroics.
This game was Ja Morant’s biggest test yet, where he had the opportunity to prove he’s not only a future top-5 PG but he’s a top-5 PG right now, as he was matched up with one of the best to ever play the position. It was a win-or-go-home situation, and he stepped up to the plate. The ball was in his hands when the game mattered most, and he capitalized with two huge buckets late in overtime to lift his squad to victory.
Morant has only shot 30% from deep all season but went 5-10 from behind the arc in the biggest game of the year. At only 21 years of age, Ja showed that he already has that killer instinct needed in crunch time that could be an indicator that plenty more clutch buckets are in store for Ja Morant’s very promising career in Tennessee.
COLORS KEY | FULL GRIZZLIES OUTLOOK
Related: NBA Takeaways of the Day
Ja Morant can finish with the best of ’em
JA. SHEESH. pic.twitter.com/RkiTN7VJWh
— NBA TV (@NBATV) May 22, 2021
Related: NBA Highlights
PG Ja Morant, MEM (W @GSW): 35 PTS (14-29 FG | 5-10 3P), 6 AST, 6 REB, 0 BLK, 4 STL, 5 TO
#PlayeroftheDay (5/21/21) - PG @JaMorant, MEM
— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) May 22, 2021
TOP FACTS:
- Youngest ever w/ 5+ 3PM & 4+ STL in a playoff GP
- 2nd MEM player w/ 35+ PTS/5+ REB/5+ AST/4+ STL
- 1st team to make playoffs without a top-8 Conf. record
KEY STATS:
35 PTS (15 in 4th/OT), 6 AST, 6 REB, 4 STL, 14-29 FG https://t.co/lCui5m5z9r
Related: Players of the Day
Memphis Grizzlies (117) vs. Golden State Warriors (112) [OT]
[Highlights] #9 GRIZZLIES (+175; $12.26) d. #8 @WARRIORS (-203; $9.07) 117-112 (OT) [MEM +4.5 | o221]
Related: Games of the Day
Related: Facts of the Day
Daniel Gafford has been a major factor in DC’s post-trade deadline success
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DATE: May 21, 1986
SIGNIFICANCE: Rockets C Ralph Sampson‘s GW-FG prevented Showtime Lakers from making 8 straight Finals in the 1980s
FULL story on Ralph Sampson's epic GW-FG to halt the Showtime #Lakers dominant run in the West https://t.co/1Jkg5Xe928
— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) May 22, 2021
Related: Significant Sports History
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