Duke basketball alum Grayson Allen could be spark to epic upset

The Memphis Grizzlies need 2015-esque shows from their Duke basketball gem.

Recently, it seems every time Grayson Allen is on the floor for the Memphis Grizzlies, the Duke basketball product’s presence results in one of two outcomes: a crucial run for his team or a costly run against his team. In other words, the 6-foot-4, 200-pound shooting guard is either on or off.

Not often in between.

At the start of the fourth quarter in Game 1 of the No. 8 seed’s first-round series in the NBA Playoffs versus the No. 1 seed Utah Jazz on Sunday, Allen’s spark proved critical in the Grizzlies coming away with the 112-109 upset on the road.

Yes, Utah was without its premier weapon in two-time All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell, who remained out of action due to a severe mid-April ankle sprain.

Nevertheless, it was Allen — with notable help at the time from fellow 2015 Duke basketball national champ Tyus Jones — who sparked a fourth-quarter Memphis run via a 3-point splash and then a strong driving bucket a minute later.

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However, three nights later, Allen played 19 minutes while laying a goose egg in the scoring department. Plus, his defense — or lack thereof at times — aided in Mitchell firing on all cylinders in his return to the court following a 40-day hiatus.

Subsequently, the Grizzlies fell in Game 2 to the Jazz in Salt Lake City, 141-129, despite a career-high 47 points from their budding superstar, Ja Morant.

A truly up-and-down postseason for the four-year Duke basketball star

Now, rewind to the May 21 overtime win at the Golden State Warriors in the Play-In Tournament that sealed the Memphis Grizzlies’ playoff admittance.

Without Grayson Allen’s 4-for-5 clip from downtown and four steals that night — including a pair of made threes with a takeaway in between during the extra five minutes — Memphis would probably be in its offseason right now.

His plus/minus was a game-high +17 in 25 minutes of action. And the 25-year-old finished with 12 points, four rebounds, one assist, and those four steals.

Two nights prior, though, during the opening Play-In victory over the San Antonio Spurs, Allen went scoreless. Plus, his untimely mistakes and misses almost prevented the Grizzlies from extending their campaign.

He wound up with a plus/minus of -17 in only five minutes on the floor.

Simply put, there’s a clear present-day correlation between the existence of Allen sparks and his squad’s postseason success. Of course, that makes sense given that the NBA Blue Devil is serving as the Grizzlies’ sixth man, so to speak, thus far in the playoffs (his second season with Memphis after a trade from the Utah Jazz, who had drafted him at No. 21 overall in 2018).

There’s no doubt the Grizzlies will be hoping to see the fiery, in-rhythm version of Allen — a la his famous 2015 title-game spark as a Duke basketball rookie — in Memphis at 9:30 p.m. ET Saturday when they attempt to take a 2-1 lead over the team with the league’s best regular-season record.

Speaking of the regular season, Grayson Allen averaged career-highs this go-round with 10.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 0.9 steals in 25.2 minutes per game.