Memphis Grizzlies vs. Golden State Warriors: Game 5 Grades and Analysis
The Golden State Warriors used a three-point shooting barrage to defeat the Memphis Grizzlies, 98-78, Wednesday at Oracle Arena.
The win gives the Warriors a 3-2 edge in the Western Conference Semifinals, with the series shifting to Memphis for Game 6.
Golden State was led by the Splash Brothers—Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson—who combined to score 39 points on 13-of-32 shooting from the field and 9-of-17 shooting from three.
Memphis was led by Marc Gasol, who stuffed the stat sheet with 18 points, 12 rebounds and six assists.
| Stephen Curry | A- |
| Klay Thompson | A- |
| Draymond Green | B+ |
| Andrew Bogut | B+ |
| Harrison Barnes | B+ |
| Rest of Team | A- |
| Marc Gasol | B- |
| Zach Randolph | C+ |
| Mike Conley | B- |
| Courtney Lee | B |
| Jeff Green | D |
| Rest of Team | F |
Golden State Warriors
Stephen Curry: A-
NBA on TNT noted Curry's record-setting performance:
When it looked like the Grizzlies might be able to establish their Grit-N-Grind style in the first quarter, Curry completely flipped the momentum with three three-pointers. ESPN's Ethan Strauss noted that turning point:
"The play where the Warriors burn 23 seconds looking confused before Curry gets a rushed corner 3 is a good one
— Ethan Strauss (@SherwoodStrauss) May 14, 2015"
He didn't finish with one of his better shooting games, but the Warriors never really relinquished control after that first-quarter run Curry sparked.
He had 18 points on 6-of-16 shooting, grabbed seven rebounds and dished out five assists. NBA History's Twitter feed passed along another record Curry set during this matchup:
Klay Thompson: A-
Klay Thompson struggled a bit with his shot early, but he got going in the second half. He finished 7-of-16 from the field on the way to 21 points.
Even with his solid offensive game, Thompson's biggest contribution may have been on the other end. He defended Mike Conley for much of the game and made him an afterthought at times.
Thompson's ability to cover the opposing 1 allowed Curry to roam off the ball a bit more, contributing to Curry's steal tally of six.
Per the Warriors' official Twitter account, Green shared his insight on "learning to defend Memphis' bigs":
Draymond Green was once again a 6'7", 230-pound Swiss Army Knife. He defended anyone from Jeff Green to Marc Gasol, as he stuffed the stat sheet on both ends.
He finished the game with nine assists, seven points and five rebounds.
Perhaps more important than the numbers, was the energy Green brought. After one particular and-one, it seemed the entire team fed off Green's energy as he screamed at his own bench.
Andrew Bogut: B+
The NBA's official Twitter account provided a Bogut alley-oop highlight:
All those who are still hesitant to consider the Warriors legitimate contenders because of their jump-shooting approach seem to have forgotten Andrew Bogut.
He may not be the focal point of the offense, but Bogut opens up so many things on the perimeter just through his ability to set screens and roll hard to the rim.
That was evident Wednesday, as Bogut commanded the attention of defenders in pick-and-rolls and as he snuck in on the baseline in secondary action. When defenders stayed with him, the Warriors' shooters got open looks. When they left Bogut, he was able to finish off three alley-oops.
He finished the game with just six points, but his impact was greater than that. And of course, his defense is always stellar. He had nine rebounds and four blocks.
Harrison Barnes: B+
While several Warriors were struggling to hit their jump shots in the first half, Harrison Barnes had his locked in. He scored 11 of his 14 points in the first 24 minutes, helping the Warriors maintain control through the second quarter.
Barnes spent much of the game as a stretch 4, forcing the Grizzlies to either counter with their own small lineup or struggle to keep pace. When Memphis did the latter, Barnes found himself open several times. He finished 3-of-5 from three-point range.
Rest of Team: A-
A trio of Warriors reserves—Andre Iguodala, David Lee and Shaun Livingston—had an impact off the bench.
Iguodala, typically a defensive specialist and facilitator on offense, went off as a scorer. He dropped 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting and was a team-best plus-23. Here's an Iguodala highlight, courtesy of the NBA's official Twitter account:
Lee had a steady-handed seven rebounds and six points. More importantly, he played solid defense, an aspect of his game that was heavily criticized after Game 4.
Finally, Livingston went for six points on 3-of-4 shooting and had three assists. But again, his impact was more about defense. In TNT's Inside Trax, Warriors coach Steve Kerr could be heard praising Livingston's defense, saying it "changed the entire series."
Memphis Grizzlies
Marc Gasol: B-
The Grizzlies' official Twitter account highlighted a notable Gasol moment:
Gasol's statline looks very good at a glance, but it took him 22 shots to get his 18 points.
One of Gasol's biggest problems was an inability to recognize when he had a driving lane. On multiple occasions, Gasol would get his man on the air for a pump, only to allow him to come down before doing anything. Many of those possessions ended with flat-footed fadeaways from Gasol.
On the other end, Gasol's typical impact on defense was largely negated by the Warriors' style. They were able to play at their pace for most of the game, scoring in transition and staying away from Gasol inside.
Zach Randolph: C+
Zach Randolph's final stat line also suggests he played a little better than he did. He finished with 13 points on 6-of-12 shooting and grabbed 10 rebounds. But nine of those 13 points came in the first five minutes of the game.
Following Z-Bo's quick outburst to start the game, the Warriors were able to adjust. They began crowding all his post-ups, forcing him to shoot 2-of-8 over the last three-plus quarters.
Mike Conley: B-
Mike Conley picked his spots throughout the game and often backed out of drives when defended by Thompson.
He finished with 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting, five assists and three steals.
But this was a game in which Memphis didn't really need Conley picking his spots. The offense stagnated badly halfway through the first quarter and never recovered. The Grizzlies could've used a bit more of Conley forcing the issue. Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group noted the Grizzlies' combined second- and third quarter shooting percentage:
Courtney Lee: B
Courtney Lee could've sought his own offense a bit more as well. He only scored seven points, but he was 3-of-3 from the field and 1-of-1 from three-point range.
Setting up more open jumpers, or having the bigs kick out from the post, would go a long way toward helping the Grizzlies offense.
Memphis has to be willing and able to make Golden State pay for crowding Randolph and Gasol in the post.
Jeff Green: D
Starting in place of the injured Tony Allen, Jeff Green often took it upon himself to bring some life to the Grizzlies offense.
Unfortunately, his efforts generally came up short. He finished the game with 10 points on 5-of-13 shooting.
Rest of Team: F
Memphis' bench had a terrible time on both ends of the floor.
The leading scorer, Vince Carter, scored eight points on 3-of-10 shooting. He was 1-of-6 from three-point range, with multiple attempts coming from well beyond the three-point line and with hands in his face.
The rest of the bench went 3-of-11 for nine points.
Coming Up Next
The Warriors will now have a chance to close out the series in Game 6, Friday, May 15, at 9:30 p.m. ET in Memphis.
Golden State will once again look to establish a lead early, as the Grizzlies don't have the offensive weapons to play from behind. Per the Golden State of Mind's Twitter account, Gasol provided an "interesting" assessment regarding pace:
Memphis, meanwhile, needs to have a bit more offensive balance. There's certainly nothing wrong with featuring Gasol and Randolph, but a few more looks for Lee and Conley should open up the paint a bit.
Andy Bailey covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him @AndrewDBailey.
