Grizzlies avoid elimination with 39-point Game 5 win over Warriors: What are the largest margins of victory in NBA Playoff history?

Gilbert McGregor

Grizzlies avoid elimination with 39-point Game 5 win over Warriors: What are the largest margins of victory in NBA Playoff history? image

No Ja Morant, no problem?

After it was announced that their All-Star point guard would likely be out for the remainder of the postseason, the Grizzlies returned to Memphis facing a 3-1 series deficit in the Western Conference Semifinals series with the Warriors.

MORE: The latest on Ja Morant's knee injury

They may have been without their best player, but the Grizzlies put forth their best performance of the 2022 NBA Playoffs by far.

After a solid first quarter, Memphis used a monstrous second quarter to take a 27-point lead into the halftime break. Things would get out of hand from there, as the Grizzlies outscored the Warriors 42-17 in the third quarter to take a 119-67 lead into the final frame.

To break the math down on that one, that's a 52-point advantage for Memphis, which led by as many as 55 (!) points in Game 5.

With the game well in hand, the Grizzlies held on for a 134-95 win, equating to a 39-point margin of victory. Desmond Bane, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Tyus Jones each scored 21 points to help the Grizzlies make up for Morant's absence.

MORE: Jaren Jackson Jr. vs. Jordan Poole: High school teammates turned rivals

It's not often that you see such a lopsided game in the playoffs, but it has happened before. Here is where Memphis' win stacks up among the most dominant postseason victories in NBA history.

Largest margins of victory in NBA Playoffs history

The largest margin of victory in NBA Playoffs history is 58, which was done twice. Most recently, the Denver Nuggets earned a 121-63 win over the New Orleans Hornets in Game 4 of the first round of the 2009 NBA Playoffs.

Thanks to a late surge from Golden State in the fourth, Memphis' win is the 26th-largest in postseason history. It's the fifth-largest margin of defeat in Warriors' playoff history.

YearSeriesGamePoint Margin
2009West First RoundNuggets 121, Hornets 6358
1956West SemifinalsLakers 133, Hawks 7558
1973West FinalsLakers 126, Warriors 7056
2015East First RoundBulls 120, Bucks 6654
1971West SemifinalsBucks 136, Warriors 8650
1995East First RoundMagic 124, Celtics 7747
1986West First RoundLakers 135, Spurs 8847
2017East FinalsCavaliers 130, Celtics 8644
1997West First RoundSuperSonics 122, Suns 7844
1985West FinalsLakers 153, Nuggets 10944
1958West FinalsHawks 145, Pistons 10144
2020West First RoundClippers 154, Mavericks 11143
2010East SemifinalsMagic 114, Hawks 7143
1987East First RoundPistons 128, Bullets 8543
1984West SemifinalsLakers 134, Mavericks 9143
1998NBA FinalsBulls 96, Jazz 5442
2018West FinalsWarriors 126, Rockets 8541
1991East First RoundBulls 126, Knicks 8541
2014West First RoundClippers 138, Warriors 9840
2009West SemifinalsLakers 118, Rockets 7840
2005West First RoundMavericks 116, Rockets 7640
1983West SemifinalsSpurs 145, Nuggets 10540
1982East FinalsCeltics 121, 76ers 8140
1978East Semifinals76ers 130, Knicks 9040
1969West SemifinalsLakers 118, Warriors 7840
2022West SemifinalsGrizzlies 134, Warriors 9539
2021East SemifinalsNets 125, Bucks 8639
2017West SemifinalsSpurs 114, Rockets 7539
2008NBA FinalsCeltics 131, Lakers 9239
2001West FinalsLakers 111, Spurs 7239
1991West First RoundJazz 129, Suns 9039

Gilbert McGregor

Gilbert McGregor first joined The Sporting News in 2018 as a content producer for Global editions of NBA.com. Before covering the game, McGregor played basketball collegiately at Wake Forest, graduating with a Communication degree in 2016. McGregor began covering the NBA during the 2017-18 season and has been on hand for a number of league events.