The Grizzlies won on Sunday night. Won again, I should say. That’s now five consecutive wins for one of the hottest teams in the NBA. One game from reaching the halfway point of the season, the Grizzlies are — by thousandths of a percentage point — sitting in a playoff spot.



The last time the Grizzlies won five in a row was at the beginning of last season, as the Grizzlies eked out a 1-point win in San Antonio to move to 12-5 on the year. They were a surprise story then, as well, leading the Western Conference on Thanksgiving Day. But the surprising start would soon give way to a horrendous thud. They would only win 21 more games.



And even though that game came just 14 months ago, only two players who played in that win also played against the Warriors on Sunday. Just two. Jaren Jackson, Jr. and Kyle Anderson are the only ones left from last year’s early season roster (Dillon Brooks was injured). The other 11 active players that night are...