The fast-paced offenses of the Grizzles and Timberwolves had led to an entertaining first-round series that just got a lot more interesting after a Game 3 that delivered more twists and turns with both teams traded momentum that literally lasted for moments at a time before the Grizzlies shocked the NBA world with the largest comeback playoff victory in franchise history.
While Ja Morant (16 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists) will deservedly receive most of the attention for the Grizzles’ Game 3 comeback due to his triple-double performance, his backcourt mate Desmond Bane deserves some credit too, after being a major cog in Memphis’ comeback bid thanks to his timely long-range shooting.
Memphis started the game down 12-0 and found themselves down 26 points in the first half and 25 in the second before going on significant runs to get back in the game before halftime and snatch a 2-1 series lead in the second half.
The Timberwolves really blew TWO 25-point leads 😳 pic.twitter.com/pWyR5D61M3
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 22, 2022
The triumphant comeback began with the hot shooting of Bane, who scored a game-high 26 points (7-15 from beyond the arc) and grabbed six rebounds.
Desmond Bane led the @memgrizz in scoring while draining 7 three-pointers to lead #GrindCity to the 26 point comeback victory!@DBane0625: 26 PTS, 6 REB, 7 3PM
MEM vs. MIN Game 4: Sat. 10pm/et on ESPN#NBAPlayoffs presented by Google Pixel pic.twitter.com/JbK9397lY9
— NBA (@NBA) April 22, 2022
Then after D’Angelo Russell hit a three-pointer to put Minnesota up 79-54 in the third quarter, Bane helped his team erase a 25-point lead with a massive 23-4 run to tie the game at 83-83, capped off by a three-pointer with 8:30 left in the game. This fourth-quarter dagger in the corner effectively put the game away as Memphis outscored Minnesota 37-12 in the final frame to match the fourth-largest comeback in NBA playoff history.
THAT CATCH AND SHOOT BADGE GO CRAZY pic.twitter.com/YMwC2IEipt
— Memphis Grizzlies (@memgrizz) April 22, 2022
After the dust settled, Bane was proud of his teammates for staying composed to clinch an emotional Game 3 victory.
“Everybody stayed with it, stayed resilient throughout the whole entire game; it’s an emotional victory — coming from being down a lot,” Bane said per Yahoo Sports.
“We’ve got to keep our heads; it’s first to four.”
Game 4 of the Grizzlies-Timberwolves series takes place on Saturday.
