The 2021–22 Memphis Grizzlies season was the 27th season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and 21st in Memphis.
On December 2, 2021, the Grizzlies defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder by an NBA record–setting 73 points, with a final score of 152–79; at one point they led by 78 points (148–70) in the final minutes of the game, but the 73-point margin is still the largest margin of victory in NBA history. The previous record was a Cleveland Cavaliers 68–point blowout win over the Miami Heat, 148–80, on December 17, 1991, that game had held the record for nearly three decades. The Grizzlies also set several other franchise records that same night, with points in one single game (152 points) and bench points scored (93 points).[1]
The Grizzlies qualified for the playoffs for the second consecutive season after a 133–103 win over the Indiana Pacers on March 25, 2022. They also won the Southwest division title for the first time in Grizzlies' franchise history after a 112–111 win over the San Antonio Spurs on March 30, 2022.[2] They are also the second non–Texas based franchise to win the Southwest Division title since the 2007–08 New Orleans Hornets. The Grizzlies defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves in six games the first round, winning their first playoff series since 2015.[3] In the second round, they faced the Golden State Warriors, where they lost in six games.[4]
The Grizzlies carried one first-round pick and one second-round pick at the onset of the draft.[5] The 51st pick was acquired by the Grizzlies from the Mavericks as part of a Delon Wright trade from the 2019-20 season.[6] They would select Virginia forward Trey Murphy III before later swapping him with #10 pick Ziaire Williams – who had been taken by New Orleans – as part of a three-team trade also involving Charlotte.[7]