Go. It was a lot of fun. The Golden State Warriors defeated the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals, winning 142-112 and leading 2-1 in their series.
It was a dominant, definite and, frankly, ruthless performance of Warriors and you will see very good reviews in this, so I will be brief. As always, I weigh based on our expectations of each player.
Note: The league’s average true shooting rate (TS) was 56.6% this season.
Draymond Green
27 minutes, 5 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 block, 4 rebounds, 4 fouls, shooting 2 for 3, 1 against 2 free throws, 64.4% TS, +19
Green’s revs continue to be a bit of a problem in this series. Warriors were very careless in this game – their 17 turns were the only weakness in this one. Dray was uncharacteristically careless, and that set the tone.
But his attack was still really good. After two games of slight stagnation of the ball, Green really got a breach in his flow on Saturday. He pressed at every opportunity and was aggressive with the ball in his hands. He quickly got the Dubs into action and grabbed the Memphis defense, which he rarely had time to tune in to.
Adding the kind of protection, energy and intangibles we can count on from him at night and in the evening, it was a very good game for Dray.
Rating: B +
Post-game bonus: He led the team in assists.
Jonathan Cumming
18 minutes, 18 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 4 rebounds, 4 fouls, shooting 8 for 10, 2 against 4 three-pointers, 90.0% TS, -2
Cumming’s first stay in this match, which was his first start in the playoffs of his career, did not go well. His defense was poor, he made several disastrous attacks in attack and did more harm than good.
But his later attempts were quite brilliant, and he reached a point where he was enjoying Memphis with his athleticism. It’s hard to give anyone anything other than a perfect score for a point per minute in hypereffective shooting splits, but his early mistakes deter him a little here. Still a very good match from him.
Rating: B +
Post-game bonus: The team’s worst plus / minus.
Andrew Wiggins
26 minutes, 17 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 1 block, 5 fouls, 7-for-10 shots, 2-for-2 threes, 1-for-1 free throws, 81.4% TS, +3
In my opinion, this was one of Wiggins’ best games as Warrior. The statistics sheet may not pop up for you, but it did whatever the Warriors asked of it. With the exception of an early contested retreat in the middle of the range, Wiggins excelled in his choice of shots, attacking the edge, cutting without the ball and noticing open threes.
He was excellent in defense and I thought he did a great job on the glass, even if the rebound numbers don’t reflect that. He boxed, sustained numerous offensive fights, and was generally superior to a team from Memphis who rarely outplays.
That’s exactly what Golden State wants from him.
Rating: A
Steph Curry
35 minutes, 30 points, 2 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover, 2 fouls, 7-for-14 shots, 2-for-8 threes, 14-for-14 free throws, 74.4% TS, +21
In my opinion, the Grizzlies play with Curry better than any other team in the league. But after two games like this (by his standards for the whole world), Curry exploded in a huge way. Keep the first 10 minutes cold for a while, Curry’s fingerprints were everywhere in this game. He took control, dictated the flow, and inflicted numerous deadly blows on Gris.
Most impressive was his ability to attack the defense. Curry won 14 free throws and, frankly, could have gotten more. He showed his usual magic on the edge and, despite the team’s general negligence, there was only one twist.
Star stuff.
Rating: A
Post-game bonus: Lead the team by points.
Clay Thompson
35 minutes, 21 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 rebounds, 1 foul, shooting 8 in 13, triples 4 in 6, free throws 1 in 1, 78.1% TS, +22
After two tough games to start the series, Clay arrived largely on Saturday. He was quite a sniper in this … he really felt like every shot he fired came in.
He also broke the glass in a huge way. The Warriors won the rebound battle again – and quite comfortably – and Thompson more than played his part.
Not only did he play as a star, but his energy and theatricality could be seen lifting the whole team.
Rating: A
Post-game bonus: Lead the wrestling team.
Nemanja Belica
4 minutes, 0 points, 1 rebound, 1 reversal, 1 foul, +4
White is out of rotation, at least for now. But I’m glad to see him get a few minutes for the trash to stay fresh. I think he will be called at some point.
Assessment: Incomplete
Otto Porter Jr.
24 minutes, 13 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 2 rebounds, 2 fouls, shooting 5 against 7, 3 against 5 three-pointers, 92.9% TS, +30
There are just two things you need to know about Porter’s game.
First, he played half the game. The Warriors outscored the Grizzlies by 30 points in the half he played and tied the Grizzlies in the half he did not play.
Second, it looks like an accurate representation of how he plays.
Rating: A +
Juan Toscano-Anderson
5 minutes, 0 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 0 shooting for 2, 0.0% TS, -1
JTA got a short time on the court, which makes sense, mainly for his defense, before settling in the garbage dump.
Assessment: Incomplete
Caven Looney
17 minutes, 6 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 fouls, shooting 3 to 3, 100.0% TS, +7
Stephen Adams is back for the Grizzlies, but has yet to play significant minutes. However, Luni turned out to play a big role in this game and did 100% of the task. He was super smart in attack, rolling to the basket, throwing the ball and setting strong screens. And his defense was very good.
Rating: A
Damien Lee
15 minutes, 0 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 1 foul, 0-for-2 shots, 0-for-1 threes, 0-for-1 free throws, 0.0% TS, +10
There was a time when Lee’s only role was to score. But in this game he did not score at all … but still had a positive impact with his confusion, energy and movement of the ball. Really valuable minutes from Lee, who made strong arguments for more playing time.
Rating: B +
Jordan Poole
31 minutes, 27 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 11 to 17 shots, 3 for 5 three-pointers, 2 for 2 free throws, 75.5% TS, +33
No one in this game felt like JP at the moment. When he first entered the game, the Dubs were struggling and he felt that every shot began to make the ship. Then, when the Warriors built a strong lead, it was felt that every shot was an exhausting blow, reminding Memphis that they had no chance.
It was straight from Curry’s book on complete and utter ruthlessness, and I’m 100% here for that.
Unfortunately, he became the source of little controversy after the match, as his hand seemed to grab – very unintentionally, to my eye – Morant’s knee shortly before the Memphis superstar left the game with a knee injury. The Grizzlies are upset, though no one outside of Memphis seems to have seen it as a dirty Poole game. Anyway, I hope Morant is okay.
Rating: A
Post-game bonus: Leads the team to plus / minus.
Moses Moody
4 minutes, 5 points, 1 rebound, 1 foul, shooting 2 for 3, threes 1 for 1, 83.3% TS, +4
Garbage time for Moody, who played really well in his few minutes.
Assessment: Incomplete
Inactive on Saturday: Andre Iguodala, James Wiseman
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