The Memphis Grizzlies knocked off the Oklahoma City Thunder in overtime on Wednesday night -- thanks to a last-second tip-in by Marc Gasol -- and the game carried some playoff weight in the Western Conference.
NBA playoff picture: Grizzlies gain on Thunder, Jazz pushed further from Rockets, Lakers
The playoff picture in the Western Conference is starting to clear up, which is bad news for the Utah Jazz.
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Memphis is the current No. 3 seed in the bracket, and with the win the team earned the head-to-head tiebreaker over the No. 2 seed Thunder. OKC now sits just three games up on the Grizzlies, which is effectively two games (due to the tiebreaker rules). Grizzly Bear Blues is understandably ecstatic about the big win.
Unfortunately for the Utah Jazz, they suffered another tough loss on Wednesday. James Harden and Jeremy Lin combined for 53 points on 27 shots as Houston dispatched the Jazz and moved 1.5 games up on the Lakers for the No. 7 spot. Rockets blog The Dream Shake is excited about the win, especially because the team gets a night off before taking on a banged-up Cavaliers team at home.
For Utah, it was the team’s seventh loss in the last 10 games, and now the Lakers hold a 1.5 game lead over the Jazz for the final spot in the playoff bracket.
Meanwhile, the Spurs won their 29th-straight home game against Golden State Warriors -- a streak that dates back to Valentine’s Day, 1997 -- and the Clippers earned a 29-point blowout win over the hapless Sixers to keep pace with the Grizzlies.
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