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The Golden State Warriors looked far from golden in Game 5 against the Memphis Grizzlies. They went down by as much as 55 points in the 134-95 defeat. Now, they're fighting to advance in the NBA playoffs with the momentum against them.
The Warriors came out flat against the Grizzlies and did nothing to fix it in Game 5. While Klay Thompson had the hot hand, the rest of the offense didn't look very inspiring. The defense must have been lost in their travels to Memphis, as it simply did not exist. The game was decided early in the second half.
With the Warriors heading back home, they have to come out with intensity. That's the bare minimum for a team with a chance to move on to the next round of the NBA playoffs. After getting absolutely obliterated, the Warriors have to set the tone to prevent a Game 7 in Memphis.
In order to turn the whooping of tricks onto the Grizzlies in Friday's Game 6, there are some aspects of the game the Warriors have to do better at.
3 major fixes Warriors must make to finish off Grizzlies in Game 6
3. Stick to the Grizzlies on screens
The Warriors let the Grizzlies run up the score on them in the first half because the Grizzlies got separation from the defense with screens. All it took was one off-ball cut off of a screen to break the Warriors' defense, resulting in either a clean look at the hoop from deep or a clean lane to drive into.
Desmond Bane + the foul 😤
Grizzlies on a 14-0 run and lead the Warriors by 24!pic.twitter.com/C5Avj0pXwp
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) May 12, 2022
Ja Morant — the only Grizzlies player who can reliably penetrate a defense and posses the threats of scoring against anyone and making the perfect kick-out pass — was on the bench in Game 5 and most likely will be through the duration of this series. The Warriors have to take advantage of that and make someone else try to replicate his production.
Golden State should consider going over screens to contest shooters rather than under them. Daring the Grizzlies to drive could make them more prone to turnovers and scare them off from shooting triples. Regardless of how they play, they have to play with urgency and energy.
2. Target Tyus Jones on defense more
In Morant's absence, Jones is holding the fort down. He is averaging 20.0 points and 7.0 assists over the last two games. The tradeoff with Jones, though, is that he is not a particularly strong defender. He is listed at just six-feet tall and is easy to shoot over for taller players.
Herein lies the weak link for the Warriors to attack. The Grizzlies boast other impressive defenders but making Jones work is their best bet. Because Golden State already has lots of motion built into its offense, they just have to direct the motion towards Jones more often.
In fact, the Warriors got Thompson going because Jones was guarding him early on in the game and he had trouble fighting through screens. In the next game, they should simply adopt a wash-rinse-repeat strategy for going at Jones on defense.
1. Play big
Steven Adams exacted his revenge on Draymond Green and the Warriors by completely dominating the glass in Game 5. His 13 rebounds helped the Grizzlies demolish them. Jaren Jackson Jr. and Brandon Clarke pitched in, too, recording eight offensive boards together. The book is out on how to handle the Warriors. They have to read it and react accordingly.
Throughout this series, when the Warriors have won the rebounding battle, they have won the game. They didn't blow the Grizzlies away in their rebounding numbers but simply putting up a better fight inside allowed them to control (and win) the game.
Golden State coughs up the ball too often to let the Grizzlies bully them on the boards in these NBA playoffs. Whether it's relying more on Kevon Looney or Nemanja Bjelica or simply instructing Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins to get more physical, the Warriors have to own the paint.
