Teammates Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph hold down the top five spots for most rebounds in a playoff game for Memphis.
The Memphis Grizzlies have had some stellar performances in the rebounding department throughout their 31-year history in the NBA. Today, we’re highlighting the top five individual rebounding performances in the postseason for players donning a Grizzlies uniform.
Marc Gasol, 21 rebounds (2011 Western Conference Semifinals, Game 4)
In Memphis’ 133-123 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in triple overtime back in 2011, Gasol played a game-high 57 minutes en route to 26 points (11-20 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 4-5 FT), 21 rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block. The Spaniard pulled down ten of his 21 boards on the offensive end, and finished with averages of 15.7 points, 10.3 boards, 2.3 assists, 1.6 steals and 2.7 blocks over 39.5 minutes per game. Gasol and the Grizzlies alternated wins throughout the seven-game series, but the Thunder prevailed by a score of 105-90 in Game 7.
Zach Randolph, 21 rebounds (2011 Western Conference Semifinals, Game 3)
Two days before his longtime teammate took the top spot on this list, Randolph posted a 21-point, 21-rebound performance in Memphis’ 101-93 victory over the Thunder in Game 3. He led his team in both categories and added two assists and a block in almost 45 minutes of action. The Grizzlies, as the eighth seed during the 2011 postseason, took a 2-1 lead in the conference semis. Over the course of the series, ‘Z-Bo’ averaged 22.9 points, 12.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.9 steals and 1.0 blocks in 41.6 minutes, leading his squad in both scoring and rebounding.
Zach Randolph, 18 rebounds (2013 Western Conference Finals, Game 2)
A couple years later, Randolph was back at it again in the playoffs, this time in the conference finals versus the Spurs. Across 45 minutes in Game 2, he recorded 15 points (6-18 FG, 3-8 FT), a game-high 18 rebounds, three assists, one steal and two blocks. San Antonio defeated Memphis 93-89 to go up two games to none, and they would go on to sweep the series in four games. Randolph finished with a game-high in rebounds (15) in Game 3 as well, and he grabbed nearly an even split in offensive (23) and defensive boards (25) over the four-game series.
Marc Gasol, 17 rebounds (2011 Western Conference First Round, Game 2)
Heading back to the 2011 playoffs, Gasol was a huge part of the Grizzlies’ first-round upset series win over the top-seeded Spurs. In Game 2, he compiled 12 points (2-9 FG, 8-11 FT), a game-high 17 rebounds, two assists, two steals and one block in 44 minutes. Memphis would lose the contest by a final of 93-87 to even the series at one game apiece, but the Grizz rallied to take three of the next four games to advance to the Western Conference Semifinals for the first time in franchise history.
Marc Gasol, 17 rebounds (2011 Western Conference First Round, Game 5)
Just one week after gobbling up 17 boards in the Game 2 loss, Gasol once again led all players with another 17-rebound performance in the Grizzlies’ 110-103 defeat in Game 5 on the road. He chipped in 11 points (5-14 FG, 1-1 FT), one assist, one steal and one block over 42 minutes. In Memphis’ 99-91 win in Game 6, Gasol added another double-double with 12 points and 13 boards, giving him averages of 14.2 points, 12.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 0.5 steals and 1.5 blocks over the course of the six-game series.
