The Golden State Warriors took Game 1 despite being down double digits in the first half and watching four-time All-Star forward Draymond Green be ejected for a flagrant 2 foul in the second quarter.
Jordan Poole’s 31 points, which set his postseason career-high, were what helped elevated the Warriors late in the game.
The Golden State Warriors beat the Memphis Grizzlies 117-116, and there were a few very shocking, mind-boggling stats come from the game.
The play of two-time MVP Stephen Curry along with Klay Thompson and Gary Payton II was also impactful. Even Kevon Looney played a massive role in the Golden State’s Game 1 victory, a win that helped them get home-court advantage.
That said, let’s dive into two mind-boggling stats that were a result of the Warriors’ effort on Sunday.
For starters, 51 rebounds is huge.
Golden State was +4 on the glass, and for a team undersized like the Warriors, that’s a massive win. When Green left, the Warriors were often playing 6-foot-9 Looney and 6-foot-8 Andrew Wiggins as their two key frontcourt personnel.
They had as many offensive boards as well. Memphis was the best offensive rebounding team during the regular season, so seeing that type of success on the defensive glass is impressive. The Grizzlies averaged a league-high 14.1 offensive boards per game.
The real improvement came for the Warriors on the glass as Payton II pulled down 4 offensive boards and the Dubs ended with 16 when they had a season-long average of 9.8. It was more about the Warriors’ effort on the glass than anything else.
Another massive number to consider is 17 turnovers. It was less that 17 is a good number for Golden State and more so that the Grizzlies had 16. Two of the biggest concerns coming into the series were size and turnovers.
They showed that both of those were moot points in Game 1. Golden State averaged 14.9 turnovers per game this season, the second-highest amount in the league, only less than the Houston Rockets.
The Warriors also haven’t been a great team at forcing turnovers. While they sat 7th in the regular season in opponents’ turnover rate, they had the second-best defensive rating, so their defense wasn’t quite a turnover-first machine.
With that in mind, Golden State won because it was able to force turnovers and outrebound Memphis. Moving forward, those will be two of the many factors that I’ll be keeping an eye on.