The Golden State Warriors and their second-ranked offense welcome the Memphis Grizzlies and their top-ranked defense in Game 1 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals. Action begins at 3:30 pm ET on Sunday, May 3 and can be seen on ABC.
The Warriors enter this game hoping for similar success after topping the Pelicans 109-98 in their last matchup. Stephen Curry was the game’s leading scorer with 39 points on 11-for-20 shooting. Marc Gasol claimed his 20th double-double of the season with 26 points and 14 rebounds.
This showdown pits one of the league’s top offenses against one of its elite defenses, as Golden State currently ranks second in the NBA in offensive efficiency and Memphis is second in defensive efficiency.
The odds for Golden State and Memphis are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is unavailable as of now. The Warriors come into this game 67-15 Straight Up (SU) and 47-34-1 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 42-10 SU and 32-20 ATS against the Western Conference. The Warriors are one of the best in the NBA in terms of three-point field goals, making 10.8 shots per game from beyond the arc. Golden State is one of the most disciplined teams in the league with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.94. Golden State’s three-point defense can be considered one of the best in the league. The Warriors allow a .337 opponent three-point field goal percentage, one of the lowest shooting rates in the league. Opponents have consistently had their shots rejected by the Warriors, who rank second in the league in blocks per game with 6.0. Golden State is the league’s top scoring team off turnovers with an average of 19.5 points per game.
Over on the other bench, the Grizzlies have a record of 40-40-2 ATS and 55-27 SU. Against the Western Conference, Memphis is 35-17 SU and 26-26 ATS.
With the Warriors’ last win against Memphis, their SU record is now 6-4 over the Warriors in the last 10 meetings. The Grizzlies also lead the matchup ATS with a record of 7-3. Golden State held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers two times in the last 10 matchups. On the other side of the court, Memphis never accomplished this feat in that span.
Predictions: SU Winner – GS, ATS Winner – GS
Notes
Memphis’ offense and Golden State’s defense are well matched, ranking zeroth in points per game and points allowed per game respectively. Memphis scores an average of 0.0 points per game, while Golden State allows 0.0 points per game.
Memphis and Golden State are well matched, ranking zeroth in points per away game and points allowed at home respectively. Memphis puts up an average of 0.0 points on the road, while Golden State allows 0.0 points at home on average.
The Memphis Grizzlies have a superb 42-11 record when their opponents score fewer than 100 points this season. The Golden State Warriors are 8-6 when they score less than 100.
Memphis is 13-16 when allowing 100 or more points this season. The Warriors have an outstanding 59-9 record when hitting triple digits.
The Warriors have the best defense in the NBA, with a defensive rating of 98.6. The Grizzlies have an offensive rating of 103.0 (ranked 13th).
The Memphis Grizzlies have one of the best field goal percentages this season, ranking eighth in the league with a FG% of 45.8%. The Golden State Warriors have a winning 14-9 record in games where opponents have a similar or higher FG%.
The Memphis Grizzlies rank higher for their field goal percentage (eighth) than their effective field goal percentage (20th), while the Golden State Warriors rank the same for both metrics (first).
The Golden State Warriors are among the best in the league with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.94 (ranked second). Ranking 11th, the Memphis Grizzlies have an A/TO of 1.67.
The Warriors rank sixth in rebounds per game with 44.7, while the Grizzlies rank 21st with 42.6 per game.
Golden State is ranked fourth in defensive rebounds, while Memphis ranks 21st in offensive rebounds.
On average, the Grizzlies force a turnover rate of 15.3%, ranked sixth in the NBA. When the Warriors turn over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a fantastic 17-5 record.
