The Golden State Warriors defeated the Memphis Grizzlies by one point in Game 1, failing to cover as 1.5-point favorites.
While the Warriors were fortunate to come out on top after four-time All-Star forward Draymond Green was ejected in the second quarter following a flagrant 2 foul, that distraction made their 117-116 victory that much sweeter.
The Golden State Warriors came out on top in Game 1 despite Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr. having his best game of the entire season.
No one would say the Warriors got lucky as Golden State’s key, experienced players stepped up; however, the Grizzlies got a performance from Jaren Jackson Jr. that hasn’t happened a single time this season.
JJJ had not hit 30 points in a game this season and dropped in 6 triples just once. He went above the former and tied the latter in Game 1.
It felt like it was automatic for the forward, getting the ball and shooting without hesitation. Memphis desperately needed JJJ to step up as he scored 43 points in the last 4 games in Memphis’ first-round series.
He dropped 33 against the Warriors and also put in 6 triples. JJJ came alive in the second half which is why the ejection of Green mattered so much for Golden State. While JJJ likely won’t repeat this performance, neither will Dillon Brooks or Desmond Bane.
One must credit the Warriors though. They were that good on Sunday afternoon. Jordan Poole scored a career postseason-high 31 points. He shot 60% from the field as well. Poole also led the team with 9 assists. It was just as good of a performance from the third-year guard.
However, we’ve come accustomed to that from the star; for Jackson, this type of showing was an outlier. Whenever Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry combine to go 14-for-39 from the field and only score a combined 39 points, one would expect the Dubs to lose the game.
That’s just how well they’ve grown as an organization. While those two still lead the way, other players, most notable Poole and Andrew Wiggins, have taken on larger roles, and they’ve often changed the outcome of games.
Getting through a career game for JJJ and watching superstar guard Ja Morant drop a game-high 34 while being on the road, the Warriors found a way to win, and that should be extremely encouraging moving forward.