Golden State Warriors happy to have ‘got the cobwebs out’ – with 15-point Game 1 win

The Golden State Warriors stormed out to a 1-0 advantage in the best-of-7 Western Conference semi-finals against the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday, winning 101-86 despite not feeling their best.

Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green goes up for a shot against the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday night in their NBA play-offs second round Game 1 win. John G Mablango / EPA / May 3, 2015

Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr joked before Game 1 of the Western Conference semi-finals that reporters should have two stories ready: One if his team looked well-rested and won, another if it looked rusty and lost.

“It was right in the middle, so you’ve got to write a third story,” he said afterward.

Neither the Warriors nor Grizzlies really felt good about the way they played. The difference is the Warriors did what they usually do at home: take care of business – and comfortably, too.

Stephen Curry had 22 points and seven assists, and the Warriors wore down undermanned Memphis in a 101-86 victory in Sunday’s series opener.

“I think now we’ve got the cobwebs out of our offensive game. We should be able to build some momentum,” Curry said.

Klay Thompson added 18 points and Draymond Green scored 16 to help the top-seeded Warriors roll to their 21st straight win at raucous Oracle Arena. They led by nine at the half, 20 late in the third quarter and never let the Grizzlies come close in the fourth despite Green and centre Andrew Bogut getting in foul trouble.

Marc Gasol had 21 points and nine rebounds, and Zach Randolph finished with 20 points and nine rebounds for a Memphis team missing point guard Mike Conley. He sat on the bench in a suit, his left eye still swollen, as he continues to recover from surgery to repair broken bones in his face.

Conley said he has “no idea” whether he’ll play in Game 2 of the best-of-7 series Tuesday night in Oakland.

“Taking it day to day,” he said.

The Grizzlies could use all the help they can get right now. Curry got off to a slow start before joining the sweet-shooting performance Golden State put on in front of their home crowd.

The Warriors shot 50.6 per cent, including 46.4 per cent from three-point range (13-of-28), to keep fans that formed a sea of golden yellow shirts roaring all afternoon. Memphis shot 45.2 per cent but was just 3-of-12 (25.0 per cent) from beyond the arc. Both teams had 16 turnovers.

“I didn’t think the game was physical at all,” Gasol said. “We didn’t bring it to that point yet. I hope, the next game, we have to bring it to our advantage.”

The Warriors, coming off a first-round sweep of New Orleans that earned them an eight-day rest, picked up right where they left off.

Curry pushed the pace from start to finish, and the Grizzlies never could slow Golden State down. The Warriors went ahead by 16 in the second quarter, and Curry kept the pressure after Memphis moved within seven.

At one point in the third quarter, he crossed over Randolph, stepped back for a three and ran down court with his arms extended after the ball swished through to give Golden State an 80-60 lead.

The Grizzles missed a chance to surge back when Bogut and Green got in foul trouble late, sending the defensive duo to the bench. Memphis never could put together a big push against Curry and company, with Gasol and Randolph coming out in the last few minutes to rest up for Game 2.

Grizzlies coach Dave Joerger said he has to do a better job of keeping at least one of his two big men on the floor at all times, but thought missed layups and poor offensive execution hurt them more than anything.

“You just can’t keep giving those guys shots at you,” Joerger said, “and I thought that’s what happened”.

In Atlanta, Bradley Beal shook off a sprained ankle to score 28 points and the Washington Wizards remained unbeaten in the post-season, knocking off the top-seeded Atlanta Hawks 104-98 Sunday in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semi-finals.

Taking advantage of a week off since their sweep of the Toronto Raptors in the opening round, the Wizards wore down the Hawks in the fourth quarter. Otto Porter scored a couple of big baskets coming down the stretch and Marcin Gortat sealed it with a lay-in off a pass from John Wall with 14.6 seconds remaining.

The Wizards became the first team in NBA history to win four straight Game 1s on the road, improving to 8-1 in the play-offs away from DC over the last two years.

The Hawks needed six games to beat eight-seeded Brooklyn and had to open this best-of-7 series with about a 36-hour turnaround. After racing to a 37-26 lead after the first quarter, Atlanta couldn’t make anything in the fourth.

Even with plenty of good looks, the Hawks shot just 5-of-28 in the final period, including 1-of-10 from three-point range.

The frustration for the home team was epitomised by one crucial possession in the closing minutes. The Hawks kept giving themselves extra chances, hustling for five offensive rebounds. But they missed six straight shots before the Wizards finally grabbed possession, the crowd groaning louder and louder with each ball that clanked off the rim.

DeMarre Carroll had another big game for Atlanta with 24 points, but he went scoreless in the final quarter. He had plenty of company. Kyle Korver made only 5-of-15 shots, Al Horford was 7-of-19, and Jeff Teague went 4-of-14.

*Associated Press

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