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The Golden State Warriors wrested control of their second-round matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies with a blowout win on Saturday, taking a 2-1 series lead in the process. As has been the case throughout the semifinal bout, though, they didn’t reach full time without encountering some controversy.
Ja Morant was forced to exit Game 3 with 6:19 remaining in the contest due to an apparent knee injury, which seemed to occur seconds earlier when Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole double-teamed the Grizzlies star near center court.
While attempting to make a play on the ball, Poole grabbed Morant’s knee, an action that has ignited a firestorm on the basketball blogosphere.
For his part, Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins made it clear that he believes Poole intentionally injured his player. He seems to be of the opinion that the league should take action, as well, just as it did in the wake of Grizz wing Dillon Brooks’ flagrant foul on Gary Payton II during Game 2.
Jenkins Sounds Off
When asked about the incident during his postgame presser, Jenkins all but asserted that what Poole did was a malicious act.
“We just watched the replay,” Jenkins said, via NBC Sports Bay Area. “He was going after a dribble and Jordan Poole actually grabbed his knee and yanked it, which kind of triggered whatever happened, so I’m actually going to be very curious to see what happens after that.”
For his part, Morant seemed to share his coach’s thoughts on the situation. In a since-deleted tweet, the point guard wrote, “broke the code.” It was a statement that hearkened back to Kerr’s earlier comments regarding Brooks’ flagrant, which resulted in an elbow fracture and weeks on the shelf for Payton.
The reaction from Jenkins and Morant strikes some as curious given the fact that the former defended Brooks after his incident.
“I look at my locker room and I look at our culture and what we exude, we’re the furthest thing from dirty,” Jenkins said, via the Commercial Appeal. “We’re competitive, so I want that to be squashed pretty quick here.”
Meanwhile, some fans have theorized that Morant’s injury actually occurred on an earlier play.
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Poole Was Arguably the Dubs’ Best Player
Lost in the shuffle of the controversy surrounding Morant’s injury and Poole’s possible role in it is the fact that the Warriors wing was arguably the best player on the floor for Golden State (once again) throughout the contest.
The baller scored 27 points in 31 minutes off the bench, hitting 11-of-17 shots, 3-of-5 from distance and adding four boards and two assists. Golden State was plus-33 when he was on the court, which was the best number team-wide.
“Fantastic,” Kerr said of Poole’s ability to attack the Memphis front. “Jordan… our ability to space the floor and get him going downhill and what he has added to our team is so important. We’re able to put Steph on the bench. I would say, for the series, we’re probably winning the non-Steph minutes, which is a big deal.”
Through three games, the Warriors are plus-25 against the Grizz with Curry on the bench.
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