It was billed, half-jokingly, as the “Tanking Bowl,” and Friday night delivered exactly that kind of bizarre energy as the Memphis Grizzlies visited the Utah Jazz. Both franchises entered the night with eyes firmly on lottery odds, not the scoreboard, and it showed.
Memphis, severely short-handed, rolled out a patchwork rotation and struggled to keep pace. Utah wasn’t exactly pushing its chips in either, but someone had to win, and the Jazz did so emphatically, cruising to a 147-101 blowout. Blake Hinson led the way with a career-high 30 points, while Bez Mbeng and John Konchar each recorded triple-doubles in a game that felt more like a summer league run than a late-season NBA contest.
The Grizzlies never truly threatened, shooting just 38% from the field and trailing for nearly the entire night, as Utah built a lead that ballooned past 50 points.
Ironically, in a game both teams had incentive to lose, Utah’s young core couldn’t help but compete, and dominate. That’s the strange reality of tanking: effort doesn’t always align with intention.
Jahmai Mashack, John Konchar and Bez Mbeng each had a triple-double, making tonights Grizzlies vs. Jazz game the first to feature 3 players each with a triple-double 🔥 pic.twitter.com/6OJYpp5P25
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) April 11, 2026
Next up, Memphis continues its draft-positioning push Sunday night against the Houston Rockets at 7:30 p.m., live on 92.9 FM ESPN.
Final: Utah Jazz 147 Memphis Grizzlies 101
Final: Utah Jazz 147 Memphis Grizzlies 101
