SAN FRANCISCO — After the Warriors erupted for 142 points in an outstanding offensive showcase Saturday night at Chase Center, it took almost 40 minutes of game action Monday night for Golden State to even get halfway there.
It was that kind of calamitous night at Chase Center, but the Warriors still managed to pull out a come-from-behind 101-98 win over the Ja Morant-less Grizzlies to take a 3-1 lead in the Western Conference semifinals series.
The Warriors were without coach Steve Kerr, who entered the league’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols about two hours before tip-off after he tested positive for the virus. Assistant coach Mike Brown was at the helm for Game 4 and will remain there until at least Game 6 Friday, barring two negative test results for Kerr.
Meanwhile, the Grizzlies were without Morant, their All-Star guard who injured his right knee in Game 3.
The game came down to the wire, with the Warriors’ sound free-throw shooting sealing the victory. Golden State’s last nine points came from the foul line.
With about a minute remaining, Jordan Poole made a pair of free throws to pull within one. On the Warriors’ next possession, a driving Curry was fouled and made a pair of free throws to put Golden State ahead for the first time in the game.
A loose-ball foul after a missed Memphis shot sent Curry back to the line, where he made another two freebies to put the Warriors’ up 96-93 with 25.9 seconds remaining. Curry was sent to the line again, extending the lead back to three, after Dillon Brooks made a layup. The Warriors commanded the lead for the remainder of the game.
Poor shooting hampered the Warriors in the first half. Otto Porter Jr. made Golden State’s first 3-pointer of the game in the last four minutes of the first half after Golden State missed its first 15 attempts from deep. In fact, it was Porter — not Klay Thompson or Poole — who made a good portion of the Warriors’ shots from 3.
Porter scored 12 points off the bench, going 4-for-6 from 3-point range, his most in a game since December.
Thompson and Poole went a combined 0-for-10 from beyond the arc in what was another uncharacteristic shooting night for some of the Warriors’ most reliable scorers. In total, the Warriors shot 24.3% from deep.
Five Warriors finished in double-digit scoring. Curry scored a team-high 32 points, including 18 in the fourth quarter. Andrew Wiggins had 17 and 10 rebounds as Golden State mustered up just enough offensive energy and defensive stops to beat the Grizzlies.
Jaren Jackson Jr. had 21 points, Tyus Jones added 19 and Steven Adams recorded 10 points and 15 rebounds.
Brooks, who returned Monday night after serving a one-game suspension for injuring Gary Payton II with a hard foul in Game 2, was loudly booed by the home crowd. He said he thrives off the energy, but didn’t play like it. Brooks shot 5-for-19 and finished with 12 points, five rebounds and eight assists.
Poole scored 14 points off the bench.
From here on out, the Warriors and Grizzlies will have one game to regroup before each of the final games of this series. The Warriors could clinch the series with a Game 5 victory Wednesday night in Memphis to head to their sixth Western Conference Finals in eight seasons.
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