It's tough to stop Stephen Curry. (Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports)
OAKLAND, Calif. — Guards Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson combined for 14 third-quarter points, matching the Memphis Grizzlies’ team total in the period, as the Golden State Warriors ran off to a 20-point lead en route to a 101-86 victory in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinal series Sunday.
Game 2 in the best-of-seven between clubs who have never previously met in a playoff series is scheduled for Tuesday night in Oakland.
Curry finished with 22 points and Thompson added 18 as the Warriors, the top seed in the West, recorded a 21st consecutive home win while remaining unbeaten in five games in the postseason.
The Grizzlies, seeded fifth in the West but coming off a 4-1 series win over No. 4 Portland, was playing without starting point guard Mike Conley, who suffered a facial fracture in the opening round.
Golden State, which won the season series 2-1 over the Grizzlies, led by as many as 10 in the first quarter and 16 in the second en route to a 61-52 halftime advantage.
The Warriors then tightened the defensive screws in the third period, limiting the Grizzlies to 40.0 percent shooting and a total of six field goals over the 12 minutes en route to an 80-60 advantage they were able to ride to a rather comfortable win over the final 14 minutes.
Memphis got no closer than 13 in the final period, and when they did, Curry and Thompson buried 3-pointers apiece over a five-possession span that pushed the visitors out of contention for good.
Curry (four), power forward Draymond Green (four) and Thompson (two) combined for 10 3-pointers for the Warriors, who are now 41-2 at home this season. Golden State made 13 of their 28 3-pointers and shot 50.6 percent from the field overall.
Green finished with 16 points, small forward Harrison Barnes chipped in with 11 and backup center Marreese Speights had 10 for Golden State, which hadn’t played for a week since completing a 4-0 sweep of New Orleans in the first round.
Center Marc Gasol had 21 points and power forward Zach Randolph 20 for the Grizzlies, who are participating in conference semifinals for third time in five years.
Gasol and Randolph tied for team-high rebounding honors with nine, but the Grizzlies nonetheless were outrebounded 39-37 by the Warriors.
Small forward Tony Allen added 15 points for Memphis.
The Warriors led by as many as 16 in the second quarter, but the margin was down to 61-52 by halftime as Golden State big men Green and center Andrew Bogut each picked up a third foul.
Memphis got the better of the frontcourt duel in the half, with Randolph (7-for-9, 16 points) and Gasol (3-for-4, 11 points) working equally efficiently.
It was the smaller Green who had set the tone early in the game, drawing Randolph outside and hitting three 3-pointers over him in the first 5:34 of the first quarter.
The Warriors outscored the Grizzlies 24-6 from beyond the arc in the half, making eight of their 16 3-point attempts.
NOTES: The Grizzlies’ decision not to play PG Mike Conley was made about a half-hour before game time. A short time earlier, Memphis coach Dave Joerger had left the door slightly ajar, labeling his guard “a possibility, but it’s unlikely.” … The series matches a team that led the league in offensive rebounding in Round 1 of the playoffs (Golden State, 14.0 per game) against a team that allowed the fifth-fewest offensive boards in its first series (Memphis, 10.0 per game). … The biggest advantage statistically the Grizzlies had over the Warriors in the first round was in free-throw percentage. Memphis shot a league-leading 85.0 percent against Portland, whereas Golden State made only 69.8 percent against New Orleans. … After having watched Game 7 between the Los Angeles Clippers and San Antonio Spurs the night before, Warriors coach Steve Kerr checked in on the postseason seeding controversy before the game, saying, “I agree with what (Clippers coach) Doc Rivers said yesterday that the rule should be changed. It seems crazy that two of the top five teams are playing each other in the first round.”
