There’s no place like home for the Golden State Warriors. The West’s No. 1 seed extended their unbeaten run at Oracle Arena to 21 games with a 101-86 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinal showdown. As expected, it was Stephen Curry who led the way for the Warriors, who now set their sights on building a 2-0 series edge this coming Tuesday.
Who will emerge victorious in this Western Conference matchup? Read on for a breakdown of this pivotal clash and while you’re at it you can check out our preview of Game 2 between the Atlanta Hawks and the Washington Wizards here.
[sc:NBAArticles ]Memphis Grizzlies vs. Golden State Warriors Game 2 Preview
Series Scores & Schedule
Game 1 — May 3 – Memphis Grizzlies 86 at Golden State Warriors 101
Game 2 — May 5, 10:30 PM ET, Memphis Grizzlies (+10) at Golden State Warriors (-10); total: 195.5 – view all NBA lines
Game 3 — May 9, 8:00 PM ET, Golden State Warriors at Memphis Grizzlies
Game 4 — May 11, 9:30 PM ET, Golden State Warriors at Memphis Grizzlies
Game 5* — May 13, Time TBD, Memphis Grizzlies at Golden State Warriors
Game 6* — May 15, Time TBD, Golden State Warriors at Memphis Grizzlies
Game 7* — May 17, Time TBD, Memphis Grizzlies at Golden State Warriors
* if necessary
Betting on the Memphis Grizzlies
For the past couple of seasons, the Memphis Grizzlies have prided themselves on their toughness and their relentless defense – key factors behind their recent playoff success. That vaunted Grit N’ Grind defense, however, was nowhere to be seen in the Grizzlies’ bone-crushing defeat to Golden State in Game 1 on Sunday.
[sc:NBA240banner ]The Grizzlies were noticeably a step slower against the Warriors in the series opener. That was evident in their poor perimeter defense against the Warriors, who shot half of their three-point attempts uncontested.
That’s a no-no against a great premier shooting team like Golden State. The Warriors took full advantage as they went 9-of-14 from beyond the arc on uncontested three-pointers. Memphis’ defense was pretty much non-existent all afternoon as they allowed the Warriors to an offensive efficiency of 112.6 in Game 1. That’s the highest offensive efficiency the Grizzlies have allowed against the Warriors in four meetings this season.
The good news for Memphis is that help is probably on the way. Star guard Mike Conley may finally be available to play in Game 2 on Tuesday after missing the last three games with a facial injury. Conley was averaging 16.0 points and 3.7 assists per game in the postseason prior to his injury. He has been a constant thorn in the Warriors’ side, averaging 16.5 points, 5.0 assists and a whopping 3.5 steals per game against them in his career.
He will provide another offensive option for the Grizzlies who simply ran out of ideas against the Warriors in Game 1. For them to level the series at one apiece, the Grizzlies need to get their frontcourt duo of Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph involved in the offense.
The Grizzlies shot 19-of-37 (51%) from the field and scored 54 points on 52 plays when Gasol and/or Randolph had a touch on the offensive end. When neither of them touched the ball, though, the Grizzlies only shot 39 percent (14-of-36) from the field.
The Grizzlies are 1-2 SU and ATS on the road in this year’s postseason.
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Betting on the Golden State Warriors
What rust?
The Golden State Warriors showed no ill effects from their eight-day layoff as they trounced the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinal clash. It was the Warriors’ third consecutive win against the Grizzlies this season.
The Warriors looked irresistible on the offensive end as they shot an incredible 50.6 percent from the field. They were particularly red-hot from the three-point area as they shot 46.4 percent (13-of-28) from beyond the arc, way above their regular season average of 38.0%.
To no one’s surprise it was Stephen Curry who did the most damage for the Warriors from deep. He shot 4-of-8 from beyond the arc en route to a game-high 22 points. Curry has been on fire from the three-point area in this year’s playoffs, shooting 24 of 56 (42.9%) with the long ball in five games this postseason.
His backcourt partner Klay Thompson also had a solid shooting night, going 8 of 16 from the floor in Game 1. He made mincemeat of Tony Allen’s defense in Game 1, shooting 5-of-8 from the field with 11 points against Memphis’ main perimeter stopper.
The Warriors will need more of the same from the Splash Brothers in Game 2 if they are to build a 2-0 series lead. Curry and Thompson are both in the top 10 in the league in scoring in this year’s playoffs, averaging 31.4 and 23.6 points per game this postseason.
The Warriors are 3-0 SU and 1-2 ATS at home in this year’s playoffs.
Writer’s Prediction
Golden State (-10) cruises to a 105-93 win.
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