Faced with clumsy Warriors despite many open shots (18% from 3-pointers, and 18 lost balls) but never left behind, the Grizzlies needed a monumental game from Ja Morant, and the latter responded present. The 2022 Most Improved Player scored 45% of his team’s points and assaulted the circle against a Golden State defense unable to stop him.
Unsurprisingly, the Grizzlies start strong thanks to an 8-0 but the logical exclusion of Dillon Brooks after his nasty foul on Gary Payton II, followed by 8 missed shots in a row allow Stephen Curry and the Warriors to stay in the game (22-19). Golden State, however, rushes in attack and the duo Ja Morant – Jaren Jackson Jr, authors of 24 of the 33 points of their team at 4/8 from afar, takes the opportunity to end the first quarter on an 11-5 (33- 25).
The Warriors do not panic, however. They find Draymond Green, their concentration goes up a notch and they start the second quarter on an 11-4 to put pressure on Memphis (37-36). With the exception of a dunk from Andrew Wiggins which goes up on Brandon Clarke, the Grizzlies close access to the circle thanks to the deterrence of Jackson Jr. Despite an outside address at half mast (4/18), the Warriors continue to stay in contact but five points from Ja Morant in the last minute give Memphis a five-point lead (56-51).
Golden State begins the third quarter by missing its first seven shots from long range and Memphis takes an eleven-point lead. Between Klay Thompson’s suspicious shot selection and a pass from Stephen Curry to Xavier Tillman, the Dubs chained six lousy minutes but the Grizzlies missed the opportunity to drive the point home (74-64).
Steve Kerr’s men recover thanks to the offensive rebound activity of Andrew Wiggins and Otto Porter Jr to end the quarter on a 13-3 and chain from the first minutes of the last period to pass for the first time in the game (83-80)! As is the rule of this match, each time a team has the wind in its sails, it chains the cagades. Two stray bullets from Stephen Curry lead to two award-winning shots from Ziaire Williams to revive Memphis and launch the money time (86-83).
The end of the match turns into a Ja Morant – Stephen Curry duel and it is the Grizz point guard who takes matters into his own hands. He attacks the circle relentlessly with his left hand and scores 15 straight as the Warriors lack the nerve to slow down and respond to the young All-Star. The Grizzlies finally win 106-101 and equalize before going to San Francisco for Games 3 and 4! It will be without Payton II…
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– An eventful start to the match. You shouldn’t miss the start of this Game 2, especially the first three minutes! The Grizzlies’ aggressive defense limited the Warriors to 0 of 5 on shots and caused 4 loose balls but a dangerous foul by Dillon Brooks on a dunking Gary Payton II earned him a logical Flagrant 2 and an expulsion. In the process, Draymond Green, victim of an elbow in the face, joined him in the locker room with his face bleeding. If Green returns to the field, Payton II will head to the hospital for an X-ray. Verdict: left elbow fracture. Steve Kerr will not spare the Grizzlies during his interview on TNT after the first quarter time: “Their start to the match was not physical, it was dirty! »
– Warriors upside down. Before the start of this series, the Warriors thought they were dominating with their 3-point shots and suffering in the key. In Game 2, it was the opposite. Golden State finished the game 7 of 38 from 3-point range, compared to 14 of 45 for Memphis. The team stayed in the game in the third quarter thanks to the activity of Andrew Wiggins and Otto Porter Jr on the offensive rebound. The Dubs have again won the rebound battle (52-47) and that of points scored on second chances (20-10). They also dominated in the racket (60-42). It is rare to see the Warriors, clumsy at this point, and we can think that they will find address at home.
– Ja Morant dominates the last quarter. Morant attacked the circle throughout the game but especially in the final minutes. He indeed scored 18 points in the last period including the last 15 points for his team! Gary Payton II out through injury, the Grizzlies point guard knows no Warrior can stop him and he’s right. Andrew Wiggins, Klay Thompson, and Jordan Poole all suffered against him and Steve Kerr and his staff will have to adjust quickly. The helpers came too late and if Ja can take off, it’s over. He produced a festival of lay-ups and floaters against Warriors who lacked the size to protect the circle.
TOPS/FLOPS
✅ Ja Morant. The Grizzlies point guard tied his playoff points record by scoring 47 points on 48% shooting, but also adding 8 rebounds and 8 assists. He carried his team at the end of the match to get this second round.
✅ Ziaire Williams. Absent in Game 1, the young winger scored four important award-winning shots, including two in the last quarter, to revive his team. He also did a good job on Stephen Curry. This is the X factor of the game.
✅ ⛔Jackson Jr. He started the game with a bang with 10 points in the first quarter before disappearing from circulation in attack (12 points in total). Even though he had to leave his partners with six fouls with four minutes remaining, he still did a tremendous job to protect the circle.
✅ ⛔Jordan Poole. The sixth man of the Warriors scored 20 points at 50% success but he often tried too hard. He got lost in his dribbling, lost 3 balls, and was targeted in defense by Memphis.
✅ ⛔Andrew Wiggins – Otto Porter Jr. They too were clumsy (7 out of 20 between them), but the two wingers were impressive in their aggressiveness and their rebound effort, offensively and defensively, to keep the Warriors in ambush.
⛔ Stephen Curry. The two-time MVP finished as his team’s leading scorer with 27 points but needed 25 shots, including a 3-of-11 3-pointer that was a stain. He took 9 rebounds and delivered 8 assists but also lost 5 balls including two in the last quarter.
⛔ Klay Thompson. As in Game 1, Thompson lacked skill (12 points on 5 of 19 on shots, including 2 of 12 from 3-pointers). Lots of bad choices in his shots.
THE FOLLOWING
Game 3 : in the night from Saturday to Sunday in San Francisco.
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