In the end, it came down to chances. 

Too many chances for the Warriors, and one missed chance for the Grizzlies. 

Box score, Game 1: Warriors 117, Grizzlies 116

And that undoubtedly will sting. Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals had all the makings of a Memphis triumph.

Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 33 points and grabbed 10 rebounds — it was by far the best playoff performance of his career. Ja Morant played great, too, and he drilled several clutch shots in a row before his final layup attempt at the buzzer went wide. De’Anthony Melton reappeared with momentum plays on both ends of the floor. Brandon Clarke was consistent off the bench yet again. 

But none of those individual performances will be the reason why the Grizzlies believed it missed a golden opportunity Sunday afternoon at FedExForum.

Grizzlies lose tense, tight Game 1 thriller

The 117-116 loss will hurt because of all that went right that was out of their control. They piled on. 

Draymond Green was ejected in the second quarter. Steph Curry, regarded as the best shooter of all time, missed his open 3 in the closing seconds. And their final chance to win the game probably never should have happened anyway. 

Memphis couldn’t cash in on any of it, but not for a lack of effort. 

The Warriors responded to Green’s ejection with a dominant 36-point third quarter. Their Most Improved Player candidate, Jordan Poole, torched Memphis from the outside as they pulled in front by double-digits for the first time.

“They played pretty well in the third,” Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins said. And when he was asked if their was an overconfidence when Green went out, Jenkins — clearly disgruntled — just repeated the answer.

But after the Grizzlies charged back, they had their chances again. 

Morant made every play except for the last. He made a layup, a floater and a pass to Clarke that three times put the Grizzlies in front inside the final 2:30. 

Memphis even made three stops inside the last minute to stay in front. But twice Andrew Wiggins grabbed the offensive rebound and after the third miss, a jump ball went the way of the Warriors on an inbounds play.

They would not miss a fourth time. Klay Thompson hit the 3-pointer to go ahead. 

That’s when everyone was thinking: ‘OK Grizz, one more chance to win it.’ Except it turned out to be two more chances.

After Morant missed the go-ahead try, Thompson missed two free throws. The second miss flew out of bounds off the hand of Dillon Brooks, but because the officials didn’t see, they jumped the ball at center court. 

Memphis won the jump, called timeout, then Morant missed the go-ahead the running layup a second time. Maybe that was a bit of bad luck. 

“I missed a layup I normally make all the time,” Morant said. “On to the next, though.”

So, in summation: THAT WAS A LOT OF CHANCES. It just didn’t work out for Memphis. 

“It’s tough,” Clarke said. “Those guys are really, really good players. There were just a couple plays where we could have been a bit better. We are going to watch the film tomorrow and be ready for the next game.”

Opportunity knocks

That’s what this series is about, after all — chances. 

It’s what decided the four games between these two teams during the regular season — a series Memphis won 3-1. 

The Grizzlies attempted more shots than the Warriors in every single one of those games. The first game, it was 90 shots-82 shots; game two 97-90; game three 100-82; game four 92-81.

That means across the four regular-season games, the Grizzlies attempted 44 more shots than Golden State, which is important given their opponent’s lethal shooting from deep. 

But on Sunday afternoon, the Grizzlies attempted 95 shots and the Warriors threw up 93. Golden State won the rebounding battle, despite playing undersized most of the game, and scored 26 second-chance points off 16 offensive rebounds. 

Those were more tries than the Warriors had ever previously had against the Grizzlies this season, including more than a game that went to overtime in October. 

Gary Payton II, a 6-foot-3 guard who moved into the starting lineup, corralled four offensive rebounds. Wiggins had three, and two inside the final minute. 

It was just too many chances — immediately after the game, Morant knew that. 

“We gave up too many second-chance points,” Morant said. “We gave up 18 fast-break points. Definitely not something we want to give up, and it played a factor in this game.”

And it will feel like a waste, considering Morant made four 3-pointers — a mark his hit just seven times this season — and Jackson scored 33, which he’s done just three prior times in his career. 

So if you’re at a loss for words after watching that game come to a close, just know you’re not alone. But this series is not over yet.

Jaren Jackson Jr. was asked if the Grizzlies let one slip away on Saturday.

“Uhhh,” he said after a long pause. “We are on to Game 2.”