May 10, 2015, Queens, NY For the second game in a row, the Memphis Grizzlies have had their way with the Golden State Warriors, winning by a score of 99-89. Mike Conley’s return to the lineup after missing game one has seemed to catapult the Grizzlies to another level defensively and offensively.
This game was blown wide open early in the second quarter as the Grizzlies put the defensive clamps on the Warriors and kept feeding the ball to their inside presence, Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol. Gasol had 16 points at half time while leading the Grizzlies to their largest lead of this series. The Grizzlies led by 16 points at the half.
The Warriors could not contain Gasol in the post. Draymond Green and Andrew Bogut were helpless as both Z-Bo and Gasol dominated the paint. Gasol finished the game with 21 points and 15 rebounds while Randolph added 22 points and 8 boards. But it wasn’t just the Grizzlies offensive resurgence that perplexed the Warriors. Stephen Curry inexplicably went 5-13 at the half and finished his poor shooting night with 23 points on 8 -21 shooting. Klay Thompson was no better. He finished the game with 20 points on 8-13 shooting. Klay shot a respectable percentage; however, with defensive guru Tony Allen draped all over him for most of the night, he was not able to have the impact that he wanted to on this game. Allen also had four steals on the night as his defensive presence was felt all over the floor.
The Golden State Warriors had the luxury of great shooting through the first round and in game one of this series. They could not miss from behind the arc, and all their jump shots, good or bad, were falling. the tide has turned. The Warriors shot a miserable 6-26 from behind the arc last night. They missed some good shots in the first quarter and seemed to take a lot of rushed shots throughout the rest of the game. The Warriors find themselves in a must-win situation heading into game 4. It would be unlikely if they lost game 4 that they could overcome a 3-1 deficit.