Grizzlies at Warriors
The Golden State Warriors look to topple another obstacle on their way
to the NBA Finals when they face the visiting Memphis Grizzlies in the
Western Conference semifinals. Memphis will be without standout point
guard Mike Conley (facial fractures) at the start of the series, which
begins Sunday afternoon.
The top-seeded Warriors are playing for the first time since April 25 after sweeping the New Orleans Pelicans in the opening round while the fifth-seeded Grizzlies ousted the Portland Trail Blazers in five games. Conley missed the final two games of the Portland series due to his injuries, and his face is still swollen and there isn’t yet a forecast on whether or not he may return during this series. Beno Udrih and Nick Calathes will continue to share the point during Conley’s absence. Golden State point guard Stephen Curry is fully healthy and he made 20 3-pointers against the Pelicans to set an NBA playoff record for a four-game series.
TV: 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC
ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES: Center Marc Gasol and power forward Zach Randolph will need to post big performances if Memphis is to pull off the semifinal upset. Gasol was strong in the series against Portland by averaging 20.4 points, 9.2 rebounds and five assists, while Randolph shot just 34.9 percent from the field and averaged 14 points and 8.4 rebounds. Randolph averaged just 12.3 points and six boards in the regular season against Golden State and Gasol also struggled with averages of 14.3 points and 4.7 rebounds.
ABOUT THE WARRIORS: Curry was sensational against New Orleans and averaged 33.8 points and 7.3 assists while finishing the series with back-to-back outings of 40 and 39 points. He averaged 24 points during three regular-season meetings against Memphis while backcourt mate Klay Thompson averaged 30.7 points against the Grizzlies – topped by a 42-point effort – and contributed 25 per game against the Pelicans. Forward Draymond Green rolled off four straight double-doubles while averaging 15.8 points and 12.8 rebounds in the first round and poses a matchup issue for the Grizzlies.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Golden State won two of the three regular-season meetings, including a 111-107 home win on April 13.
2. Memphis SG Courtney Lee averaged 19.3 points on 29-of-42 shooting over the final four games of the series against Portland.
3. Warriors reserve G Andre Iguodala was 9-of-29 shooting in the first round.