Warriors rally after Green ejected, edge Grizzlies 117-116 in Game 1
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies have shown they can finish fourth quarters this postseason.
Well, the Golden State Warriors have been doing this for years, with the championships to prove it.
Klay Thompson hit a goahead 3-pointer with 36 seconds left, and the Warriors overcame Draymond Green’s first-half ejection to edge the Grizzlies 117-116 on Sunday in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals.
“The core, we’ve got championship DNA, and we wanted to utilize that,” Stephen Curry said. “At this stage, that’s what it’s all about. Never let go of the rope in terms of feeling like you’re out of a game. Big win for us.”
Jordan Poole led the Warriors with a career-high 31 points off the bench, hitting a playoff-best 5 of 10 3-pointers. Curry added 24 points, Andrew Wiggins had 17 and Thompson finished with 15.
Green was ejected for a flagrant foul just before halftime.
“We knew that was a tough break that didn’t go our way and we were all kind of shocked by the decision, but we were confident and determined and the guys stayed with it,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr.
Thompson missed both free throws with 6.7 seconds left, then Memphis won a jump ball before a timeout with 3.6 seconds remaining to set up the final play. The Grizzlies ran a play similar to Morant’s lastsecond layup to win Game 5 in the first round, but Morant’s layup went off the backboard and over the rim.
“Ja to go make a play,” Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins said of the final possession. “Got a great look. It just didn’t happen to go in.”
Morant added: “Klay hit a big-time 3, and I missed the layup.”
Thompson helped defend Morant on the final drive, picking up when Gary Payton II was beaten. Thompson called it a “gut-check win” for a team that’s been through so much the past couple years with injuries and missing the playoffs.
“In playoffs, all that matters is that final box-score score and handle business, but we’re far from satisfied,” Thompson said.
Morant finished with 34 points and 10 assists, and Jaren Jackson Jr. matched his season high with six 3-pointers and had a career-high 33 points as Memphis’ first pair of teammates to score at least 30 in a playoff game. D’Anthony Melton added 14, and Brandon Clarke had 12.
With 1:18 left in the second, Green fouled Brandon Clarke. Officials reviewed the play for several minutes with fans chanting “Throw him out!” Green finished with six points, four rebounds and five turnovers. Clarke said Green is known for his flagrant fouls.
“He did hit me pretty hard, twice really when I saw it again,” Clarke said. “It’s just coming out and playing our ball. I’m not really worried about him. It’s not shocking that he did that.”