SACRAMENTO, California—With the hostile crowd roaring and Sacramento making a big push, the Golden State Warriors did what they have done so often over their dynasty.
They silenced a crowd and came away with a back-breaking road win.
Stephen Curry scored 31 points, Draymond Green had his highest-scoring game in more than five years and the Warriors earned the first road win of their series against Sacramento, beating the Kings, 123-116, Wednesday night to take a 3-2 lead.
In Memphis, the Grizzlies’ stars finally played well together in the same game, and Desmond Bane already is planning to be back for another tipoff Sunday in Memphis.
Even with Game 6 looming Friday night in Los Angeles, where the Grizzlies have yet to win this season or in this series.
Bane had 33 points and 10 rebounds, two-time All-Star Ja Morant added 31 points and 10 boards, and the Grizzlies staved off elimination Wednesday night, beating the Lakers, 116-99, to force their first-round Western Conference series back to Los Angeles.
The Warriors won a road game for the National Basketball Association (NBA)-record 28th straight playoff series, encompassing the entire era of Curry, Green and Klay Thompson.
“The experience that they’ve had over the last decade playing in a lot of big games, it’s definitely helpful,” coach Steve Kerr said. “I thought they did a great job tonight of staying poised down the stretch when Sacramento made their run and really made some big plays in the last five minutes to seal it.”
Green had 21 points and seven assists in his first game back in Sacramento since getting ejected and later suspended for stepping on Domantas Sabonis› chest in a Game 2 loss.
Golden State now can try to wrap up the series with a fourth straight win at home on Friday night.
“I think this team has really grown together,” Green said. “Every year, that team has to grow together. This year took longer than we normally like…it’s starting to go well for us.”
The defending champion Warriors showed off their road mettle that had been missing so often this season. Golden State won only 11 games away from home in the regular season and lost the first two games in Sacramento before pulling this one out.
“This is a different team than what we had all year,” Kerr said. “What happened in November and December and January on the road has nothing to do right now. This is the team we’re looking at, is a team that won a championship last year and won a ton of road playoff games. Our guys know how to do it and got it done tonight.”
The Kings trailed by 12 early in the fourth quarter after a layup by Curry but wouldn’t go away. They chipped away at the deficit behind 11 points in the next five minutes from Malik Monk—who went down briefly with what looked like a left knee injury—to make it a one-point game with just over four minutes left.
But the Warriors pulled away late after Monk missed a potential game-tying 3 with 1:04 to play.
Andrew Wiggins made a turnaround jumper to make it a five-point game and Curry put it away with a three-point play with 22.1 seconds left that made it 122-114.
Thompson added 25 points, Wiggins had 20 and Kevon Looney matched his career high with 22 rebounds.
“Big night for us,” Curry said. “You can feel the sense of accomplishment from everyone on the bench and on the floor.… We have work to do. We needed this one.”
De’Aaron Fox scored 24 points despite a broken index finger on his shooting hand, and Monk and Sabonis added 21 points apiece for Sacramento.
Fox went 0 for 6 from the field in the fourth quarter and was scoreless — the most shots he had ever taken in a scoreless fourth quarter.
“Yeah, no doubt,” coach Mike Brown said about whether Fox’s injury impacted him. “He’s shown a lot of toughness being out there in the first place.”
Fox got the start despite breaking the tip of the index finger on his shooting hand late in Game 4. He played with a splint on the finger and showed no ill effects from the injury, making all three of his attempts from long range in the first quarter to help Sacramento build a 10-point lead.
The Warriors got going in the second quarter with Thompson making three 3-pointers during a 12-0 run that helped Golden State take a 60-56 lead at the half.
“It’s kind of like desperation,” guard Davion Mitchell said. “It’s win or go home. … We have to punch them in the mouth first.”
GRIZZLIES STAY ALIVE
JA MORANT missed Memphis’ last Game 6 a year ago in the Western semifinals, a series-ending loss in Golden State. Asked what it will take for the Grizzlies to return for another game, Morant had a short answer.
“Me being a leader and, you know, being ready for this pedestal everybody got me on,” said Morant, who signed a five-year, supermax contract last summer.
Jaren Jackson Jr., the NBA Defensive Player of the Year, had 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Grizzlies, who improved to 5-0 in Game 5s played in Memphis and cut the seventh-seeded Lakers› series lead to 3-2. Memphis earned a second straight No. 2 seed by posting the NBA›s best home record at 35-
“Obviously it was a win or go home situation,” Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins said.
LeBron James started 1 of 7 from the field but finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds. It was a modest follow-up after the 38-year-old played 45 minutes in Monday night’s overtime win in Los Angeles and became the oldest player in NBA history to post at least 20 points and 20 rebounds in his 270th playoff game.
This time, James played 37 minutes and was the first starter coach Darvin Ham pulled with the Grizzlies in control.
“He and I made eye contact,” Ham said. “We had a nonverbal discussion. It was time. We’re going to need him big on Friday.”
James said he doesn’t know how he’ll feel Friday night now that this series has a game every other night with travel on the off day.
“I’ll take care of the body,” James said. “Try to get as much sleep as I can. Seeing how fast the body can recover and get ready for Friday.”
Anthony Davis led the Lakers with 31 points and 19 rebounds. Austin Reaves had 17 points and D’Angelo Russell scored 11.
The Lakers tried to rally with a 20-7 run in the fourth. They couldn’t get closer than 12, the last on a putback by Davis with 2:52 left. Memphis answered with eight straight that got fans chanting “Whoop That Trick” with about 90 seconds left.
“That run at the end of the third, kind of got away from us,” said Davis, who promised he’ll be ready to play 48 minutes if needed in Game 6.
Memphis led only 23-20 when Jenkins took out Dillon Brooks, known more for calling James old and missing shots than his defense in this series. The Grizzlies seized control, finishing on a 15-4 run capped by Bane’s 3 just before the quarter expired for a 38-24 lead.
The Grizzlies led by as much as 17 in the second with Morant scoring 10, including drawing a foul on James for a three-point play. Memphis led 61-52 at halftime.
Russell scored the first eight of the third for the Lakers to quickly turn it into a one-point game. James, who had nine in the quarter, hit a pair of free throws that pulled Los Angeles within 75-74 with 4:36 left.
Memphis responded with a 26-2 run that lasted through the start of the fourth. Morant had 11 in the third and finished the quarter with back-to-back buckets. His final drive put the Grizzlies up 94-76 going into the fourth.
Bane capped the spurt with a three-point play for a 101-76 lead the Lakers couldn’t overcome.
Image credits: AP