For the first time this postseason, the Warriors trail in a playoff series after losing Game 3 99-89 in Memphis on Saturday night.
GAME LEADERS
For the first time this postseason, the Warriors trail in a playoff series after losing Game 3 99-89 in Memphis on Saturday night. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson scored 23 and 20 points, respectively, but the Warriors lacked the firepower to climb all the way back from a hefty double-digit deficit.
For the second consecutive game, the Warriors trailed for the vast majority of the contest. Golden State scored three-straight baskets to achieve their largest lead of the game at 13-8 with 6:19 left in the first quarter. Marreese Speights split free throws in the final minute of the opening frame to give the Dubs a momentary 20-19 advantage, but it wouldn’t last long. Memphis closed the quarter with two baskets to retake the lead, one they would never give back.
Those two baskets would begin a 10-0 Grizzlies run spanning the first and second quarters, giving Memphis a nine-point cushion early in the second frame. The Grizzlies would sustain that momentum for the duration of the half, outscoring the Warriors 32-19 in the second quarter, which ultimately proved to be the difference in the game. The two sides headed into halftime with Memphis holding a 55-39 lead, the second consecutive game in which the Warriors had been held under 40 points in the first half.