SAN FRANCISCO ( Associated Press) — Stephen Curry scored 30 points, Klay Thompson made 21 and nine rebounds and the Golden State Warriors stunned Jay Morant’s supporting cast to lead the Memphis Grizzlies 142-112 on Saturday night for a 2-1 lead in the Western ceased to embarrass. Conference Semi-Finals.
Just before the halftime buzzer Morant’s 3 got the Grizzlies 64-57 at the break and gave him 17 of his 34 points after a 47-point performance in Game 2. But Morant couldn’t do it for Memphis alone, and he was done limping after rubbing his gentle right knee and with 6:19 to play before heading to the locker room.
Still troubled by a tough foul from Dylan Brooks in Game 2, which sidelined Gary Peyton II, Drummond Green and Golden State, the opening tip remained calm – methodically getting away with it. Instead, Memphis forward Kyle Anderson was kicked out with a 6:19 to argue an offensive foul.
Brooks was suspended for a Flagrant 2 foul in the first quarter of Tuesday after he pounded the head of a driving Peyton, which landed awkwardly and fractured his left elbow. With ligament and muscle damage, they will be sidelined indefinitely.
Coach Steve Kerr said the play was “dirty” and broke an NBA “code” that could injure someone and threaten their careers, while Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins and his Grizzlies players defended his harsh style. Because it wasn’t dirty at all.
Brooks will return for Game 4 at the Chase Center on Monday night, where the raucous sell-out crowd consisted of two women with signs of Peyton’s face emphasizing the Warriors “win for Gary.”
Golden State did so with a balanced attack and energy on both ends, when Green called the offense to do more for a better defense.
Jordan Poole scored 27 points off the bench and Andrew Wiggins added 17 points for Golden State, who used a 10-0 run from halftime to take command for good.
Rookie Jonathan Cuminga started a spark in place of Peyton, while Ziare Williams was on for Brooks.
Curry missed his opening two shots then scored his first points of the game and made a big 3 with a 0.9 in the first to put the Warriors 28-26 behind.
Morant hit a 31-foot 3-pointer midway through first and Williams sank shortly after to lead 21-8 and Memphis scored 6 of 9 to start the game. But the Grizzlies cooled down and scored only 3 of the next 12 to see the Warriors close the quarter with an 18-7 goal.
Thompson’s Touch
Thompson scored 8 for 13 with four 3-pointers on a solid shooting night.
He was 11 for 38 off the floor, including 5 for 22 at 3-pointers, before finding a better slot in the series so far. Kerr thought it would be too soon.
“Kel is in a bit of a hurry. He is trying too hard to push himself and he just needs to be a little more patient,” said Kerr. “He had some good looks, but he forced some other guys too Did. He hasn’t really gotten into a good rhythm, so hopefully we can get some tonight.”
Adams’ absence
Grizzlies center Steven Adams was available to play in this series for the first time since falling out of league health and safety protocols, but didn’t play the big man until the game got out of hand.
Tip-ins
Grizzlies: G Desmond Bain had a pain in his back during Game 2, but it has improved. “His back is growing. I don’t think he is in full force like he was in the regular season, but he is the ultimate competitor,” said coach Taylor Jenkins. Bane got 16 points in 29 minutes. … Memphis Scored 6 of 11 from 3-point range in the opening quarter.
Warriors: The Warriors beat the Grizzlies 21-14 in the first half and 53-37 on aggregate. … Golden State are playing 4-0 at home after this season and 49-11 dating back to the 2015 title race that ended with the franchise’s first championship in 40 years.
,
More Associated Press NBA coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
,
