Stephen Curry made eight free throws in the final 45.7 seconds on the road to 32 points, igniting the Golden State Warriors on the road to a 101-98 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night and a 3-1 lead in the Western Conference Semifinals.
Curry also gave up eight assists as Golden State came together to win without head coach Steve Kerr after he tested positive for Covid-19 less than two hours before the signal.
“Obviously there are butterflies, because you’re back in the game with a certain way of thinking, and that’s a big game. Every game we play at this time of year is huge, “said Warriors assistant coach Mike Brown, who agreed on Sunday to take charge of the Sacramento Kings when the post-season game ends.
“So to get thrown that way, you have to change gears, because I know what my responsibilities are like Mike Brown, the assistant coach, and that’s changing.”
But Brown has done this before. He led the Warriors to a record of 11-0 during the title in 2017, when Kerr was out and struggling with debilitating symptoms from complications from back surgery two years earlier.
“I think his record as Warrior’s head coach for the playoffs is unbeaten,” said Clay Thompson. “We missed Steve a lot, just his voice, his presence, but we’ve been here before, in 2017, when Mike took over and we had a lot of victories, so I thought about it a lot.”
Curry took command and now his Warriors have one win from the trip to the Western Conference finals for the first time since 2019. He tied the score at 90 in the elimination of base jumping with 3:25 to the end and his two free throws with 45.7 seconds by the end they gave the Warriors a 94-93 lead, their first of the evening. Golden State scored 39 points in the fourth, beating their 38 points throughout the first half.
“Nothing we found out, just don’t let the first three quarters affect the fact that we still had a chance to win the game,” Curry said. “Shoot the shots you think you can make, play aggressively, take care of the ball. We did all these things. “
Thais Jones scored 19 points, six rebounds and five assists as Memphis missed the injured All Star Ja Morant. Dylan Brooks returned from a one-game break and struggled hard, missing three points in the remaining 53 seconds and finishing 5 against 19 with 12 points, eight assists and five rebounds.
“This is difficult. This is a difficult pill to swallow. “It felt like we were leading the whole game,” Jones said. “I had a feeling we were in a good position. It felt like we were in a good position to win a ball game and things weren’t going our way. “
Andrew Wiggins scored 17 points and 10 rebounds, and Thompson scored 14 points, although he missed all seven of his 3-point experience for the Cold Warriors, who didn’t have to fight everything Morant did this time. The Grizzlies guard missed the game with pain in his right knee after Jordan Poole grabbed him as he went for the loose ball at the end of Game 3 – causing Morant and Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins to question Poole’s intentions. It remains unclear whether Morant will return for Match 5 on Wednesday in Memphis.
Brooks eliminated game 3 as a penalty from the league for his foul 2, which injured Gary Peyton II in game 2, when Brooks hit the Golden State guard over the head in an attempt to delay and Peyton fell hard and broke his left elbow. Kerr called it a “dirty game” and said Brooks had violated the NBA’s code of conduct.
Brooks was booed almost every time he touched the ball, fouled or returned to the game.
“He forced a couple. He’s trying to get his furrow back, “Jenkins said. “It simply came to our notice then. But when he played under control, I liked the playmaking he had. ”
Former Michigan teammate Adrian Payne was killed in a shooting in Florida earlier in the day. Green did not discuss the shooting, but raised $ 100,000 to form a fund in honor of Payne.
“It was an emotional day,” Thompson said. “Prayers to Adrian and Draymond’s family, I know they played together. It’s just a terrible loss of life. His legacy will live on, it’s just a sad day. “
In Monday’s other game, Al Horford limited the series to 10-0, breaking into the baseline, hitting a draw with a draw and fouling two-time MVP Janis Adetokunmpo. Horford celebrated, screaming and clenching his fists.
Horford’s big moment was the iconic fourth-quarter comeback game that allowed the Boston Celtics to beat the Milwaukee Bucks 116-108 and tie the Eastern Conference semifinals in two games each.
“I’m usually just doing my job,” said Horford, who finished with the top 30 points in his career playoffs. “I’m excited, but I guess you’re choosing your places, your moments. It was an emotional game. “
The teams have alternating wins in this best series of seven, which continues on Wednesday with Game 5 in Boston.
Add Comment