The Warriors responded from a terrible shooting performance in Game 2 with one of their best in Game 3 Saturday night at Chase Center.
SAN FRANCISCO — The Warriors responded from a terrible shooting performance in Game 2 with one of their best in Game 3 Saturday night at Chase Center.
An explosive third quarter, led by Stephen Curry, Jordan Poole and Klay Thompson, paved the way for the Warriors’ dominant 142-112 rout of the Grizzlies, which gave Golden State a 2-1 lead in the Western Conference semifinals series.
After shooting a dismal 18.4% from 3-point range in Tuesday night’s loss, the Warriors rediscovered their groove from deep. They shot 63.1% from the field, 53.1% from beyond the arc and made more triples by the end of the third quarter than they did in Tuesday’s loss.
Six Warriors finished in double-digit scoring. Poole and Curry led the way, recording 30 and 27 points, respectively. Thompson had 21 and Andrew Wiggins added 17.
142 points are the second-most the Warriors have scored in a playoff game in franchise history, only one point short of tying the franchise record of 143 from an April 1, 1967 win over the St. Louis Hawks.
The 63.1% shooting percentage on the night is also the second-best in a playoff game in franchise history (they shot 64.6% on April 23, 2013 in a 131-117 win over the Denver Nuggets).
It was open shooting from deep for the Grizzlies, who made 16 3-pointers and shot 37.2% from distance. But with Memphis leaving lanes wide open, the Warriors dominated the paint, scoring 62 of their 142 points there.
Ja Morant was the Grizzlies’ lone lifeline in the third quarter, scoring 13 of Memphis’ 23 points. But his efforts weren’t nearly enough to counter the scoring frenzy the Warriors had.
The Warriors opened the second half with a 18-6 run and ultimately outscored the Grizzlies 37-23. Thompson, who didn’t attempt a shot from beyond the arc in the first half, made three triples in the third quarter.
The Warriors again won the battle of the board, outrebounding the Grizzlies 38-29.
Wiggins continues to be the Warriors’ most consistent player of this series. He was an aggressive defender, contesting shots, disrupting passing lanes and pulling down rebounds. He led the Warriors’ scoring in the first half with 15 points.
Jonathan Kuminga became the youngest player in at least 50 years to start a playoff game as the 19-year-old started in place of Gary Payton II, who’s sidelined for at least two weeks with a broken left elbow suffered in Game 2.
Kuminga scored the Warriors’ first four points and had stopped Ja Morant from getting the basket a couple of times in the first quarter. He was replaced by Otto Porter Jr. just past the midway point of the first quarter.
Porter started the second quarter in place of Kuminga after he had his best performance of the playoffs. Porter has no issue with doing the dirty work for the Warriors. He finished with 13 points, four rebounds and three assists and boasted a plus-30 in 24 minutes.
The crowd slowly chanted “Warriors” midway through the fourth quarter after Klay Anderson received a technical for arguing a call with referees. The chant turned into a roar after Anderson was ejected when he continued to gnaw at an official.
Morant led all scorers with 34 points, scoring 17 in each half.
The only thing that got in Golden State’s way was themselves in the first half when they turned the ball over a whopping 14 times, off of which the Grizzlies scored 19 points. The Warriors took much better care of the ball in the second, tallying only two turnovers the rest of the game.
After the Grizzlies evened the series in an aggressive Game 2 in Memphis, coach Steve Kerr threw shade at Dillon Brooks, who was suspended Saturday after taking out Gary Payton II in the previous contest, while explaining the Warriors’ mantra for Game 3.
“Battle for every loose ball, battle for every rebound, compete for every possession, and don’t risk a guy’s career if he’s ahead of the play in transition,” Kerr said.
That’s what the Warriors did.
Golden State will look to build off this dominant victory when they host the Grizzlies for Game 4 on Monday.
