The Memphis Grizzlies continued to surprise in the playoffs as they took a 2-1 series lead over the heavily favored Golden State Warriors with a 99-89 win.
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NBA Playoffs Game 3 preview: Golden State Warriors at Memphis Grizzlies
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The Warriors stuck with the Grizzlies in the first quarter, but the Grizzlies finished the quarter on top with a three-point lead.
The second quarter was a disaster for the Warriors though, as their offense looked uncharacteristically bad as they were held to 19 points while the Grizzlies scored 32 points.
The Grizzlies center Marc Gasol took over the second quarter as he scored 12 points in that span, and he and shooting guard Tony Allen continued to play incredible defense.
Allen capped off his determined and inspired performance with a steal from Warriors point guard and MVP Stephen Curry, and he drove it for a layup to give the Grizzlies a 16-point halftime lead.
The third quarter was not much different. While the Warriors were able to somewhat pick up the pace on offense, the Grizzlies continued to hold them off as they ended the quarter with a 79-64 lead.
In the fourth quarter, the Warriors showed signs of life as they trimmed the Grizzlies’ lead to single digits as the quarter drew closer to the end.
The Warriors even threatened with a potential comeback as they pulled within four with 3:15 remaining, but the Grizzlies held them off with amazing clutch shots.
Grizzlies power forward Zach Randolph summed up his performance with a tenacious jumper that was made right as the shot clock winded down with just under five minutes left.
Grizzlies shooting guard Courtney Lee helped hold off the Warriors with a three-pointer that was made as the shot clock was about to end.
Grizzlies center Marc Gasol made a clutch shot of his own shortly before fouling out, as he took a leaf out of the book of Derrick Rose and Paul Pierce with an insane bank shot that also barely beat the shot clock.
This was later ruled a two-point shot by the officials as Gasol stepped over the line, but it was nonetheless a difference maker.
Curry had an overall solid performance even though it was not MVP-caliber, like his games in the first round against the New Orleans Pelicans.
He scored 23 points with six assists, but he struggled at the three-point line once again as he only made 2-of-10 of his shots from downtown.
He also failed to come through like an MVP should in the fourth quarter as he was held to two points in that important phase of the game.
Shooting guard Klay Thompson added 20 points with eight rebounds, but he had his shots limited as he only took 13 shots while shooting 1-for-4 from the free-throw line.
The Warriors collectively struggled at the free-throw line as they only made 67.9 percent of their shots from the charity stripe, and they missed six of them in the fourth quarter.
For the Grizzlies, Gasol played with infinite heart as he sacrificed himself for fouls but finished with 21 points and 15 rebounds.
Randolph led the Grizzlies in scoring with 22 points while adding eight rebounds. Point guard Mike Conley did not put on an encore performance of Game 2 as he was held to 11 points.
However, he scored four points in the final minute of the game while his impact on the Grizzlies was demonstrated once again as they improved to 5-0 in the playoffs with him on the court.
The Warriors now find themselves in danger of being upset by the Grizzlies as they will play Game 4 in Memphis before they potentially face elimination in Game 5 at home.
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