The Golden State Warriors will be looking to take a two-game lead in their Western Conference semi-final clash with the Memphis Grizzlies in Oakland on Tuesday.
Where: Oracle Arena, Oakland.
When: Wednesday May 6, 03:30 (UK time)
Stephen Curry was crowned the NBA MVP 2015 on Monday, and it was a deserved reward for a regular season stacked with sensational performances.
Not only did the point guard continue his emergence as one of the top players in the league, but he also helped his team to the top of the Western Conference standings with the best record in the NBA.
As a result, the MVP award will only further boost his confidence as he looks to complete the job by taking Golden State all the way to a championship this year.
They started strongly in that pursuit with a series sweep of the New Orleans Pelicans in the first round, and they looked equally as good in their Game 1 win over the Grizzlies.
The absence of point guard Mike Conley is not helping the visitors, and it is unlikely that he will feature on Tuesday night either as he continues to wait for the swelling to go down on his face after breaking bones and undergoing surgery.
While Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph can bang in the paint and try and out-work the Warriors, they are suffering on the perimeter and that means that the likes of Curry and Klay Thompson will get their shots, while Draymond Green showed that he can stretch the floor and drain threes too.
Coupled with the fact that the Warriors have been utterly dominant at home this year having now gone 42-2 at the Oracle Arena, it will take something special from Memphis to tie this series up.
Prediction: The Grizzlies won’t have enough to overcome Golden State at home, so expect another wide points margin win for the Warriors, particularly if Conley hasn’t recovered in time to play.
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