They took the scenic route, but the Warriors are back in the playoffs.
After blowing a 20-point lead, Golden State had just enough in the tank to hold off the Memphis Grizzlies and advance out of the play-in round. Steph Curry drilled two timely 3-pointers late in the fourth quarter, and Jimmy Butler once again lived up to his “Playoff Jimmy” moniker in a 121-116 victory.
The win earns the Warriors a best-of-seven, first-round series against the second-seeded Houston Rockets.
Golden State could’ve wrapped up a playoff spot last week, but it blew a home game to the Spurs and couldn’t pull out an overtime game in the regular-season finale against the Clippers. The Warriors instead had to advance through the play-in tournament.
Their stars pushed them through, all the way until a bear hug after the final horn. Butler scored a game-high 38 points to go with seven rebounds and six assists. Curry poured in 15 of his 37 points in the final frame. The Warriors didn’t get much scoring behind them, but their 75 combined points secured a playoff berth.
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“I tried to downplay it a little bit before the game, but we desperately needed to win this game and get four days [off],” head coach Steve Kerr said. “Our guys have basically been playing knockout games for about three weeks. One high-level game after another. So to get this one — it took 83 games but we’re right where we want to be, which is back in the playoffs.”
The Warriors took advantage of lumbering center Zach Edey, attacking him in space. Edey was often assigned to Butler, who hit a pair of 3-pointers the Grizzlies asked him to take and constantly knifed into the paint. He converted a pair of and-1s — screaming toward the Chase Center fans after each — to log 21 points, four assists and four rebounds by halftime.
“I think any team has a chance when I’m on the team, but I know that every team has a chance if Steph is on the team,” Butler said. “I get to play Robin. That’s my Batman.”
The Warriors forced seven first-quarter turnovers and contained Memphis on the offensive glass by hustling to loose balls, building a 20-point lead.
The Grizzlies cut the deficit to one with a hellacious run in the third quarter and then took brief leads in the fourth. Even as Ja Morant missed time with an ankle injury — and later returned with a limp — Memphis surged.
Draymond Green, Zach Edey, and Scotty Pippen Jr. each played with five fouls for most of the fourth quarter. Neither team led by more than five points, locked in a staring match until the final minute of the fourth.
That’s when Curry knocked down a pair of 3-pointers — one in the corner and one after two pump fakes to shed Pippen. After the latter, he slowly walked down to the other end, soaking in the moment.
Golden State let the Grizzlies hang around as Green fouled out on an ill-advised gamble by halfcourt, and a miraculous block by Brandin Podziemski got whistled, too.
But the Warriors had enough poise to get the ball to Curry in a free-throw situation, and the greatest foul shooter ever sank two with 5.4 seconds left. Then a five-second call on the Grizzlies sealed it.
Some within the league have circled Houston as a potentially vulnerable team — and one a play-in winner like the Warriors shouldn’t be fazed by. But the Rockets won 52 games for a reason, and they most recently beat Golden State by holding Curry to three points on 1-for-10 shooting.
Rockets guard Amen Thompson is probably the best athlete in the league and is already a Defensive Player of the Year candidate. Houston can play centers Alperen Sengun and Steven Adams together, punishing small teams like the Warriors inside. They can also play with neither, spreading the floor with Jabari Smith Jr. at center in a dynamic five-out look.
Rockets coach Ime Udoka is a proven, hard-nosed tactician. In the last Rockets-Warriors game, he exchanged words with Curry at halftime, adding to a long list of tense moments between the two squads. Green also got a technical foul that game. Dillon Brooks has a history with the Warriors spanning back to his Grizzlies days. Tari Eason has explicitly said, “I don’t like the Warriors.”
Whether the Rockets are a nice landing spot for Golden State or not, the Warriors sure look fortunate to be on this side of the Western Conference bracket. Whoever advances out of the Rockets-Warriors series would get the winner of the Lakers and Timberwolves. On the other side of the bracket are the Thunder, Clippers, and Nuggets.
Game 1 is set for Sunday at the Toyota Center.
“We’re excited for the challenge,” Curry said. “I was just telling Draymond, it’s wild — we’ve been in playoff series in Houston for a decade. It’s crazy to think about.”