SAN FRANCISCO — The Warriors had their way with the Grizzlies in Game 3.
You just kept waiting for the offense to go cold and come back down to Earth, but it never happened. Golden State carved up the interior of Memphis defense and rolled up the score, winning 142-112 to take a 2-1 series lead on Saturday night at Chase Center.
Judging from the performance, the Warriors should win this series in five games. Especially if Ja Morant is sidelined. The Grizzlies superstar exited the floor gingerly with a few minutes left on the clock after Jordan Poole may have injured his right knee and we will have to see his status for Game 4 on Monday night.
The Warriors featured six scorers in double digits Saturday night, led by Steph Curry’s 30-point performance. Poole also turned in another remarkable playoff game with 27 points off the bench, shooting an efficient 11-of-17 from the field. Klay Thompson also poured in 21 and went 4-of-6 from 3-point land. In all, the Warriors shot a scorching 63.1 percent from the field.
But it was Otto Porter Jr.’s 13-point game that really boosted the Warriors, as he finished with a +30 in plus/minus in 24 minutes.
“It’s not a coincidence,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said of Porter’s production. “You know, he just understands how to play. He’s in the right spot all the time. He’s made a huge impact on our team.”
Earlier this week, Porter. told reporters he was sure his shot would fall eventually. Remarkably, Saturday marked the first time since Jan. 23 that Porter knocked down as many as three 3-pointers in a game.
“Otto, you can’t leave him open,” Thompson said. “He’s an incredible shooter and has been his whole career. I knew he was going to have a great night soon because he’s been getting great looks and been sticking with it.”
Porter scored 10 of his points in the first half and helped electrify the crowd with a strong offensive rebound putback in the second quarter.
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Porter was one of three veteran minimum free-agent signings this past offseason, along with Andre Iguodala and Nemanja Bjelica. The Warriors paced Porter throughout the regular season while he dealt with back and foot issues that have hampered him the past few seasons. He didn’t play in any back-to-backs and appeared in 63 games, his most since the 2017-18 campaign.
This is the kind of production the Warriors envisioned from Porter, who also grabbed four rebounds and provides Kerr with some size and defensive versatility while Andre Iguodala (neck) and Gary Payton II (fractured left elbow) are sidelined.
“With those guys out, we’re really leaning on Otto even more,” Kerr said. “He’s capable of playing matchup positions. He can play across the frontline at 3, 4, or 5. He’s done a great job.”
