Warriors beat Grizzlies, take seventh seed behind Curry and Butler’s combined 75

SAN FRANCISCO: The Golden State Warriors confirmed their place in the playoffs on Wednesday, after holding off the Grizzlies late surge to win 121 – 116 thanks to Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler’s combined 75 points.

After gaining the lead off a floater from Stephen Curry seven minutes into the first quarter, the Warriors held on to the lead for the majority of the game. Golden State led by as much as 20 in the second quarter, as Jimmy Butler’s early flurry in the paint was followed by a couple makes from deep by Curry, the latter of the two resulting in a four-point play.

The Grizzlies would spend the third frame clawing their way back into the game. Memphis outscored Golden State 36 to 27, thanks to Desmond Bane’s 11 in the quarter, as well as Jaren Jackson Jr.’s 7. Butler’s 13 and Curry’s 7 helped the Warriors keep the lead, but the Grizzlies only trailed by three, 94 to 91, at the end of the frame.

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Memphis and Golden State were neck and neck throughout the final frame. The former had 25 points in the quarter, eight of which came from Bane’s two made threes and two free throws. Zack Edey added another five, and Ja Morant had four. However, the Warriors had 27, 15 of which came from a Curry, who had three makes from deep in the quarter.

Curry finished the game with 37 points and six made threes from his 13 attempts, as well as eight rebounds and four assists. Butler led all scorers with 38 points and had seven rebounds and six assists. Bane had 30 points for the Grizzlies, while Morant had 22.

With the win, Golden State have now confirmed their place in the playoffs as the seventh seed in the Western Conference, meaning they will play the second seed, the Houston Rockets. Game one of the seven game series will take place on Sunday, April 20.

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