Game: Golden State Warriors @ Memphis Grizzlies
Time: 9:30 p.m. ET
Odds: Warriors -2, Grizzlies +2
Total: 227.5
It was Draymond Green’s ejection just before halftime that gave the Golden State Warriors a little momentum coming into the second half. Green fouled Memphis big man Brandon Clarke on his way to the basket. The foul was ruled a flagrant 2 which resulted in Green’s ejection. The Grizzlies would go on to take a 61-55 lead into the locker room at halftime. That lead didn’t last as Golden State would come back and eventually win 117-116 to take Game 1 of this Western Conference semifinals series.
Klay Thompson hit the go-ahead three-pointer with 36 seconds left in Game 1. Thompson finished with 15 points. Jordan Poole continued his outstanding play by coming off the bench to score 31 points. Stephen Curry had 24 and Andrew Wiggins added 17 for the winners. Memphis actually had a shot to win the game at the buzzer, but Ja Morant missed a layup similar to the one he hit in the Grizzlies’ first-round playoff series against Minnesota.
Look for more of the same in Game 2, which is why we see the short number here. With that Game 1 victory, Golden State has now won 10 of its last 11 games. They have done it with offense too. In six of their last seven games, Golden State has scored at least 117 points. The Warriors will likely have to continue doing so as Memphis is the second-highest scoring team in the NBA.
The Warriors are now 8-4 ATS in their last 12 games overall, but they are just 1-5 ATS in their last six against Memphis. They failed to cover in Game 1 as a 2.5-point favorite. The win in Game 1 was just the second for Golden State over Memphis in the last six head-to-head matchups. The Warriors are now 5-1 SU in their last six road games, but they are only 1-5 ATS in their last six against Memphis on the road.
Memphis got 34 points from Morant in Game 1 and 33 from Jaren Jackson Jr. The Grizzlies will need more from Desmond Bane in Game 2. Bane had just nine points and one rebound on Sunday. He is listed as questionable for Game 2, but he is a big part of the Memphis offense averaging 18.2 points per game.
The Grizzlies are 16-4 SU in their last 20 games at home and they went 32-13 at home at the FedExForum this season. Memphis is 4-2 ATS in its last six games. Game 1 of the series went Over the total and that makes it six out of the last seven for Golden State. The Grizzlies are trending Under with four of the last six game totals going Under. In the last 11 games between these two teams, the Under is 8-3. Memphis has covered each of the last three games against Golden State and those three games averaged 225 points.