Jordan Poole gets his groove back
In his first game back to the bench since March 10, Jordan Poole rekindled his hot hand from deep as the Golden State Warriors relied on him for extended minutes.
Poole began his first postseason with a bang, scoring 27+ points in each of his first three outings. However, a mid-series adjustment from Denver resulted in Poole scoring just 19 total points between the final two games of the first round (6-of-20 shooting).
The good news? Poole snapped out of this brief slump in Game 1 against Memphis. He scored a playoff career-high 31 points, showcasing a myriad of moves in the paint to help lift Golden State in pivotal moments.
It was Poole who kept the Warriors afloat in key minutes when Stephen Curry was on the bench. Without his offensive onslaught, the Dubs would have surely sunk to the Grizzlies’ fourth-quarter rally.
Instead, Poole gave the team everything they needed down the stretch. This is crucial as Memphis will have nowhere to hide Ja Morant defensively if Poole, Curry and Klay Thompson are clicking at the same time.