Score of Warriors vs. Grizzlies takeaway: Memphis keeps playoff hopes alive with Game 5 win over Golden State


The Memphis Grizzlies kept their postseason hopes alive on Wednesday night with their dominating win over the Golden State Warriors in Game 5 at FedExForum as they cruised to a 134-95 win. Memphis received contributions from high and low on its roster, as seven players finished the win with double-digit scoring.

With the win, the Grizzlies avoid elimination and now force a Game 6 in San Francisco to potentially line up a do-or-die matchup in Game 7 in Memphis, should they win in California on Friday. These are the three main takeaways from Game 5.

1. It wasn’t the worst blowout in playoff history.

Golden State came out of the history books 28-15 in the fourth quarter, but before that, this game had a chance to be historic. The biggest blowout in playoff history was a 58-point win for the 2009 Denver Nuggets over the then-New Orleans Hornets. The Grizzlies were leading by 55 in the third quarter. If they had pressed him, they could have won by 60 or 70. We know for a fact that they can. They won a regular season game by 73 over the Thunder in December.

Let’s focus on the competitive part of the game, which was the first three quarters. At the time, the Grizzlies were leading by so many points that even if you took all 17 3-pointers away from them after three quarters, they would still have a one-point lead 68-67. They won the third quarter by a ridiculous 25 points. It took them just over half to get past his 98-point total from Game 4. This may not be the worst playoff loss in NBA history, but it’s not far off, either.

2. A masterpiece of ball control

The shot got out of hand in the second half, but if you look at the percentages in the first half, you’ll see a relatively close game. The Warriors made 47.4 percent of their field goals in the first half. The Grizzlies did 50.9 percent of theirs. The Warriors shot 39.1 percent of their 3s in the first half. The Grizzlies did 44.4 percent of theirs. Golden State even shot a higher percentage from the line. Usually I would look at those numbers and expect a relatively close game. As we know, this game was not close. Why? Well, in the first half…

  • The Grizzlies had 10 more offensive rebounds than the Warriors.
  • The Warriors had 11 more turnovers than the Grizzlies.
  • As a result of those two factors, the Grizzlies attempted 18 more field goals than the Warriors.

Turns out it’s pretty hard to win a basketball game when you never actually have the ball. To some extent, this was to be expected. The Grizzlies were the best offensive rebounding team in the NBA by a mile this season. Golden State’s movement and passing-heavy offense incorporate turnovers into the equation with the understanding that the Warriors make up for them by getting a cleaner look on all of their other possessions. But numbers like that are something else entirely.

Having Steven Adams back in the rotation clearly seems to have made a difference, and the Warriors, without a great shooter, aren’t punishing him defensively in the same way Minnesota would. But part of the problem here was just a lethargic night of basketball from the Warriors who were likely hoping to win over a depleted opponent. Now they will have to play Game 6 without Gary Payton II and perhaps without Otto Porter Jr. knowing that a loss would force them to play a Game 7 on the road to determine the fate of their season. These are areas where the Warriors should lose, but there’s no excuse for the beating they took on Wednesday.

3. Kerr at the controls

Would you believe me if I told you that Warriors interim coach Mike Brown is 12-1 replacing Steve Kerr even after that debacle? That’s right, the future Sacramento Kings coach went undefeated with an 11-0 record for Kerr during the 2017 playoffs. He took Game 4 for victory No. 12. Finally, in Game 5, he took his first loss, but wow, it was ugly.

His victory in Game 4 was also nothing to write home about. It shouldn’t take a double-digit comeback to beat an opponent without their best player on your court. But that’s the kind of basketball the Warriors have played in their last two games. Careless, unfocused and lazy. Stephen Curry bailed them out of Game 4 because he is Stephen Curry. He can do that from time to time. Nothing could have saved them from Game 5 annihilation.

Would that defeat have come with Kerr in the lead? Probably. No coach is worth 40 points in a single game. But the Warriors haven’t looked like the Warriors since their coach came down with COVID-19. Getting him back on the bench as soon as possible is paramount here. They already miss Payton and maybe Porter. Being without your coach only makes things more difficult.




Reference-www.cbssports.com

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