Image Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

Golden State Warriors Edge Out Memphis Grizzlies in Play-In to Clinch No. 7 Seed, Set NBA Playoff Date with Houston Rockets

It was the Grizzlies' seventh straight loss against the Warriors at Chase Center.

Image Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

Golden State Warriors held their nerves in the final quarter to edge out Memphis Grizzlies 121-116 in the Play-in Tournament on Tuesday night to clinch the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference. The Warriors will now take on the No. 2 seed, Houston Rockets in the first round of the playoff series on Sunday. The Grizzlies will now head to Memphis to face the winner of Wednesday’s game between No. 9 and No. 10.

The Warriors, who moved to the Play-In for the second successive year after losing to the Clippers in overtime, dropped their best performance on Tuesday night. Jimmy Butler scored a season-high 38 points, seven rebounds and six assists on 12-of-20 shooting. Stephen Curry dropped 37 points, and eight rebounds. Quentin Post and Gary Payton recorded in double figures off the bench.

38 FOR JIMMY BUTLER III.
37 FOR STEPHEN CURRY.

WARRIORS TAKE THE WEST'S #7 SEED 🚨 pic.twitter.com/g7Za1dT8ap
— NBA (@NBA) April 16, 2025

Also Read: Golden State Warriors’ Playoffs History – How Many Times Have the Warriors made it to the Postseason?

Butler’s Highest-Scoring Game for the Warriors Powers his Team in Play-In Opener

The Warriors continued their dominance over the Grizzlies, securing their fourth win in five games of the 2024-25 season. Memphis held an 11-2 lead in the first two and a half minutes but Golden State responded with a 14-5 run to tie the game. The Warriors sparked a 15-2 run to take a double-digit lead in the first quarter.

The Warriors held a 67-55 lead at halftime and Butler scored 21 points. 10 turnovers in the first half impacted the Grizzlies’ performance. Memphis had a 19-8 scoring run in the third quarter to reduce the deficit to three points. The Grizzlies flipped the seven-point deficit to a two-point lead in the fourth quarter.

BANE FOR 3.

FROM 20 POINTS DOWN… THE GRIZZLIES HAVE TIED IT UP 🚨#SoFiPlayIn on TNT pic.twitter.com/g5bHFl3pg0
— NBA (@NBA) April 16, 2025

The game was going interesting down the stretch and Stephen Curry’s three-pointer helped the Warriors to take a 117-111 lead. Zach Edey’s dunk reduced the deficit to four points. The veteran guard dropped four consecutive free throws in the final seconds to close the game. Curry scored 15 points in the final quarter and made 13 free throws, a season-high for the team. It was the Grizzlies’ seventh straight loss against the Warriors at Chase Center.

Desmond Bane led Memphis with 30 points and six rebounds while Zach Edey added a career-high 17 rebounds. Ja Morant, who missed out the regular-season finale, dropped 22 points on return on 9-of-18 shooting. The Grizzlies will host the winner of the Mavs/Kings play-in game in a battle for the No. 8 seed and a date with the Thunder. Warriors will start their playoff campaign with a first-round series against the Rockets on Sunday.

Image Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

2025 NBA Playoffs

Golden State Warriors

Jimmy Butler

Memphis Grizzlies

Gulshan Sharma

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A native of Jaipur, Rajasthan, journalist, and a complete soccer and basketball fan, he found the huge interest with basketball by watching videos of Allen Iverson and Tony Parker, but fell head over heels in love with the sport during the Warriors’ championship era (2015-2018). A sports game addict since his late PS1, he’s also passionate about the Eagles, Inter Miami and the Fever. He’s fortunate to have seen all his favorite teams win championships. He also has a special love for cricket and football (soccer), where he is a fan of Royal Challengers Bangalore and Barcelona.