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Ja Morant capped a 30-point night with a key late hoop for the
Grizzlies.
The game had much in common with the season-ender, which went
into overtime tied at 99 before the Grizzlies survived and moved
on via an 18-13 advantage in the extra period.
The rematch was tied at 98 through 48 minutes before a defensive
struggle ensued, one in which the Grizzlies shot 2-for-7, which
was better than Golden State's 1-for-7.
Seeking a fifth consecutive win, the Warriors' Damion Lee had
the only field goal of the first 2:54 of the extra session, a
3-pointer at the 3:59 mark that gave Golden State a 101-100
lead. But the Warriors never scored again, thanks in part to
late blocks by Melton on Draymond Green and Kyle Anderson on
Andre Iguodala.
Meanwhile, Melton put the Grizzlies on top nearly two minutes
later and Morant made it a three-point game on a layup with 57.9
seconds left.
Golden State had two chances to tie, but Stephen Curry and Lee
misfired on 3-pointers.
Curry, the game's leading scorer with 36 points, shot 0-for-3,
all on 3-pointers, in the overtime.
Neither team scored in the final 2:04 of regulation after Lee
produced the fourth tie of the final 7:19 with a 3-pointer. The
Grizzlies missed their final six shots over that stretch before
Curry's desperation 3-pointer at the buzzer was off the mark.
Fired up to avenge last year's season-ending defeat, the
Warriors exploded out of the gate, putting up 37 first-quarter
points, taking a 19-point lead along the way.
But the Grizzlies, playing the second night of a back-to-back,
climbed all the way back, getting within 55-45 by halftime,
79-73 by the end of the third quarter and finally even at 86 on
Melton's floater with 7:19 to play.
Morant complemented his 30 points with seven rebounds, a
team-high five assists and a game-high four steals for the
Grizzlies, who salvaged a 2-2 Western swing on a trip they began
with a win against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Desmond Bane added 19 points, Jaren Jackson Jr. 15 with a
team-high eight rebounds, and Stephen Adams 12 for Memphis,
which shot 14-for-14 from the free throw line. Morant went
6-for-6.
Curry's 36 points came on 11-for-29 shooting, including 7-for-20
on 3-pointers. He also had a game-high eight assists and seven
rebounds.
Andrew Wiggins finished with 16 points and Lee 14 for the
Warriors, while Green snatched a game-high 12 rebounds and
blocked a game-high five shots to go with four points and seven
assists.
--Field Level Media
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