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Game 1 of the Golden State Warriors and Memphis Grizzlies matchup in the NBA Playoffs was a thriller. The two teams battled it out on the hardwood and it came down to the final 3.6 seconds to decide a winner. Gary Payton II got the start for defensive purposes and he had the assignment of trying to stop Ja Morant on the final play of the game.
The Grizzlies inbounded the ball to Morant, who had a step on Payton, and Klay Thompson stepped in to not give the dynamic guard a straight shot to the rim. The two Warriors made it as difficult on Morant as they could, and he barely missed. After the win, Payton talked about the play from his vantage point.
“We've seen that he's made that shot multiple times throughout the year,” Payton told ClutchPoints. “I just tried to disrupt it, and Klay did what he needed to do to disrupt it, and it ended up coming off.”
Gary Payton II on if he influenced Ja Morant to miss that last shot attempt:
“We've seen that he's made that shot multiple times throughout the year. I just tried to disrupt it, and Klay did what he needed to do to disrupt it, and it ended up coming off.”
— Mark Haynes (@markhaynesnba) May 1, 2022
Grizzlies star Jaren Jackson Jr. had a huge game against the Warriors. He registered 33 points and 10 rebounds in the loss. When asked about Morant missing the layup, he had a similar answer as Payton.
“I seen Ja make that layup a thousand times,” Jackson told the media.
Jaren Jackson Jr. on Ja Morant missing the potential game-winning layup:
“I seen Ja make that layup a thousand times.”
— Mark Haynes (@markhaynesnba) May 1, 2022
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The game could have gone either way. It was that close. So nobody feels they gained a clear advantage over the other. The Warriors narrowly escaped in Game 1, but for sure, the Grizzlies won't let that happen again without a fight. You can expect an equally exciting Game 2 between the two teams who are hungry for a championship.
