National Basketball Association
Utah 121, Memphis 111
When: 9:30 PM ET, Saturday, May 29, 2021
Where: FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee
Officials:
#4 Sean Wright, #11 Derrick Collins, #58 Josh Tiven
Attendance:
12185
By Field Level Media
Donovan Mitchell completed a three-point play with 4:04 remaining and the top-seeded Utah Jazz survived a late challenge from the host Memphis Grizzlies for a 121-111 win in Game 3 of their Western Conference first-round playoff series on Saturday night.
Mitchell saved 10 of his game-high 29 points for the final four minutes, during which the Jazz outscored the Grizzlies 14-2 to go up 2-1 in the best-of-seven series.
Game 4 is scheduled for Monday night, also at Memphis.
Down by 11 to start the fourth period, Memphis used a 13-2 burst to draw even for the first time all night at 98-all.
The teams then battled to six ties in the quarter until, after Ja Morant gave Memphis its final lead at 109-107 with 4:27 to play, Mitchell flipped in a driving hoop on which he was fouled by Jonas Valanciunas. The subsequent free throw gave Utah a lead it never relinquished.
Mitchell made it a four-point game with a 3-pointer, Rudy Gobert added a layup and Mitchell hit four straight free throws as Utah pulled away to another double-figure lead and coasted home.
Mike Conley scored 27 to go with a team-high eight assists for Utah. Jordan Clarkson and Bojan Bogdanovic added 15 points apiece, as did Gobert to complete a double-double with a game-high 14 rebounds.
Morant finished with a team-high 28 points to go with a team-high seven assists, while Dillon Brooks chipped in 27 points for Memphis, which was outscored 57-39 on 3-pointers.
Grayson Allen came off the bench with five 3-pointers to account for almost all of his 17 points, while both Kyle Anderson (11 points, 13 rebounds) and Valanciunas (10 points, 13 rebounds) produced double-doubles for Memphis.
Riding the momentum of a 141-point explosion in a 12-point win at home in Game 2, Utah wasted no time taking charge in its first road game of the postseason.
Early 3-pointers by Conley (two) and Royce O'Neal (one) helped vault the Jazz into a quick 13-5 lead. And when Georges Niang bombed in Utah's seventh 3-pointer, the visitors had built a 34-19 advantage in the final minute of the quarter.
But Memphis chipped away, eventually drawing even with 7:58 remaining when Allen buried a 3-pointer to cap the Grizzlies' flurry to open the final period.
--Field Level Media
Top Game Performances
Utah |
|
Memphis |
Donovan Mitchell 29 |
Scoring |
Ja Morant 28 |
Mike Conley 8 |
Assists |
Ja Morant 7 |
Rudy Gobert 14 |
Rebounds |
Kyle Anderson 13 |
Donovan Mitchell 9 |
Free Throws Made |
Ja Morant 6 |
Bojan Bogdanovic 1 |
Steals |
Kyle Anderson 2 |
Rudy Gobert 4 |
Blocks |
Jaren Jackson Jr. 1 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
Utah
|
121 |
49.4 |
19-43 |
22-27 |
17 |
43 |
7 |
4 |
13 |
Memphis
|
111 |
43.0 |
13-41 |
12-14 |
23 |
50 |
1 |
7 |
9 |
Upcoming Games
-
Memphis will play their next game at home against Utah. The Grizzlies have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .559 after a loss.
-
Utah will play their next game on the road against Memphis. The Jazz have a W/L % of .712 after a win and .750 after a loss.