Warriors rout Grizzlies
▶ Memphis coach Jenkins calls out Poole after Morant injured
Stephen Curry, Jordan Poole and Klay Thompson combined for 78 points, and the Golden State Warriors rode an offensive masterpiece to a 142- 112 victory over the visiting Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night in San Francisco.
The Warriors took a 2- 1 lead in the Western Conference semifinal series.
Curry had a team- high 30 points, Poole 27 off the bench and Thompson 21 in his most productive effort of the series, helping Golden State run off to the first one- sided victory in the best- ofseven series.
Game 4 is scheduled for Monday night, also in San Francisco.
Coming off a 47- point explosion in Game 2, Ja Morant led all scorers again with 34 points before taking the final 6: 19 of the game off to have his right knee examined.
Morant suffered the injury seconds earlier when it appeared he clashed knees with Poole. The Memphis star played for about another minute, but then with his team down by 17 points, Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins pulled Morant and sent him straight to the locker room. Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr combined for four of five Memphis three- pointers in the game’s first five minutes as the Grizzlies burst out to an 18- 8 lead.
The Grizzlies led by as many as 13 before Golden State dominated the final 42 minutes of the game, shooting 63.1 percent overall and 53.1 percent on three- pointers.
Curry shot seven- for- 14, Poole 11- for17 and Thompson eight- for- 13 for Golden State. Almost half of Curry’s scoring came on a 14- for- 14 performance from the free- throw line.
On a night when he passed Paul Pierce and Kevin McHale to move into 21st place on the NBA’s all- time postseason scoring list, Curry topped 30 points for the fourth time in these playoffs and 44th time in his career. Thompson was Golden State’s top shooter from beyond the arc, going four- for- six. Thompson also found time for a game- high nine rebounds, while Draymond Green chipped in with five points, five rebounds and a game- high eight assists.
Jonathan Kuminga, who at age 19 became the youngest player in NBA history to start a playoff game, added 18 points for Golden State. Andrew Wiggins ( 17) and Otto Porter Jr ( 13) gave the hosts six players in double figures.
Morant finished 13- for- 21 from the field and four- for- seven on threepointers for the Grizzlies, who shot 43.5 percent overall and 37.2 percent on three- pointers. He also had team- highs in assists with seven and steals with three.
Desmond Bane had his best game of the series with 16 points for the Grizzlies, while Jackson totaled 15 and De’Anthony Melton 12.
Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins called out Poole for “yanking” Morant’s knee after the Grizzlies star limped out of the game on Saturday.
The Warriors held a comfortable double- digit lead in the fourth quarter when the play occurred, with Poole and teammate Wiggins pressuring Morant as he dribbled toward the lane and flailed as he tried to retain possession of the ball.
“We just watched the replay,” Jenkins said after the game. “He was going after a dribble and Jordan Poole actually grabbed his knee and yanked it, which kind of triggered whatever happened, so I’m actually going to be very curious what happens after that.”
The Grizzlies’ Dillon Brooks was suspended for one game after his flagrant foul in Game 2 left Golden State’s Gary Payton II with a season- ending broken elbow. It wasn’t immediately clear how serious Morant’s injury was.