Jordan Poole, a reserve guard, had 31 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists to help the Golden State Warriors strike the Memphis Grizzlies, 117-116, in the first game of their NBA playoff series on Sunday. Draymond Green send to the locker room.
Klay Thompson made the game-winning 3-pointer with 36.6 seconds left, and the Warriors blocked Grizzlies playmaker Ja Morant twice in the last seconds.
“It was a large win for us to start the series and get the home-court advantage,” Warriors guard Stephen Curry told the New York Times. During the second game, “get greedy.”
Western Conference second-round best of seven matchups will go on at Memphis on Tuesday, and it will go on for seven more games. We can give updates for the games in OKBET.
During the game, Curry added 24 points for Golden State. Andrew Wiggins scored 17 points, and Thompson added 15.
Morant scored 34 points, had ten assists, and grabbed nine rebounds for Memphis. Jaren Jackson also had 33 points and ten rebounds for the Tigers.
The Warriors suffered a significant setback in the second quarter when forward Green, a key defender during Golden State’s title drives in 2015, 2017, and 2018, was dismissed for a flagrant-2 foul for striking Brandon Clarke in the face and dragging him down by his jersey.
“This is a critical game to win, even more so with him leaving early,” Poole added. “We were able to compensate for his lack of energy.”
The Warriors answered with a solid start to the third quarter.
“We were unflinching,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr explained. “Are aware that it was a hard break that did not go our way. We were taken aback by choice. We went on a run to take the lead in the third quarter. That confirmed that we would not be leaving.”
Poole set a playoff career-high with 38 points in 38 minutes off the bench. I was shooting 12-of-20 from the field and 5-of-10 from beyond the arc.
“He’s a hooper, supremely self-assured,” Curry added. “You cannot teach that short readiness. You either own it or do not, and he possesses it.”
Poole scored 14 points in the first half and ten more in the third quarter as Golden State seized a 91-90 lead.
“At our core, we have championship DNA that we want to leverage,” Curry added. “At this point, that is all that matters.”
Poole scored seven points during a 12-point run to start the fourth quarter, giving the Warriors a 103-93 lead before the Grizzlies rallied.
Thompson overlooked two late free throws, and Memphis had one more chance, but Morant missed a buzzer-beating driving layup.
“He has an enviable appearance. It simply did not go in,” Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins explained. “I admire our men’s competitive spirit. It was simply not good enough.”
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