Grizzlies stay alive with win
Maybe it was a good sign when Dillon Brooks made his first two shots. Or maybe it was Ja Morant looking to rebound and Jonas Valanciunas becoming a facilitator.
Morant and Valanciunas switched roles and made history as the first Grizzlies pair with tripledoubles in the same game. Brooks added his best scoring game inside the NBA bubble to help save the Grizzlies' season.
The Grizzlies' 119-106 win Thursday over the Milwaukee Bucks means they will reach the play-in tournament on Saturday, which is set for 1:30 p.m. on ABC.
Their seeding depends on how the Portland Trail Blazers fare later Thursday in their game against the Brooklyn Nets.
If Portland wins, the Grizzlies will be the No. 9 seed.
If Portland loses, the Grizzlies return to the No. 8 seed and would have to lose twice to be eliminated in the play-in tournament as opposed to a single loss as the No. 9 seed.
Morant's second career tripledouble came with a career-high 13 rebounds to go with 12 points and 10 assists.
Valanciunas had a career-high 12 assists to go with 26 points and 19 rebounds for his first triple-double.
Both took turns running the offense against a Bucks team missing reigning league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, who was suspended for a head-butt in a game Tuesday. The Grizzlies fed off that unselfishness to the tune of 36 assists
Brooks had 31 points, one shy of his season high.
The Grizzlies' fellow starters also chipped in with Kyle Anderson adding 10 points and six assists and Anthony Tolliver scoring nine points after connecting on three of five 3point attempts.
The Grizzlies (34-39) also eclipsed last season's win total of 33 games.
Now their season continues at least for one more game as they look toward a potential playoff spot.