The Golden State Warriors and Orlando Magic won the NBA play-in tournament on Tuesday night, securing their postseason spots. The Magic easily defeated the Atlanta Hawks, while the Warriors fought a nail-biter against the Memphis Grizzlies.
The Warriors won 121-116 on Tuesday night in a game packed with momentum swings and big plays.
The stars of both teams came out to play Tuesday night at San Francisco’s Chase Center.
The Grizzlies took an early lead, with Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. scoring all of Memphis’ points.
But the Warriors promptly caught fire, going on a 29-7 run that saw Golden State go from nine points behind to a 13-point lead later in the first quarter.
The Warriors’ superstar Stephen Curry and trade-deadline addition Jimmy Butler III carried the strain as their lead extended to 20 points in the second quarter. Butler scored 21 points in the first half for Golden State, with Curry adding 15.
However, Memphis continued to chip away at the Warriors’ lead, and by midway through the third quarter, the Grizzlies had reduced the margin to a single point thanks to a and-one play by Morant.
The play, however, proved critical, as Morant landed awkwardly on Warriors guard Buddy Hield’s foot and injured his ankle. Morant had to leave the game after finishing the three-point play.
The Grizzlies continued to battle despite the absence of their star guard. Memphis knotted the game early in the fourth quarter with a 3-pointer from Desmond Bane before briefly leading with a transition layup from John Konchar.
After around six minutes on the bench, Morant returned to the game with a slight limp. He promptly made his presence known with a midrange jumper that tied the score at 98.
Butler and Curry delivered more heroic performances, propelling Golden State ahead again.
A Butler jumper, followed by two clutch 3-pointers by Curry, gave the Warriors a six-point lead with one minute left.
But just as it appeared that Golden State had put Memphis away, the Grizzlies found a new spark of optimism. With 14 seconds left, the Grizzlies were able to trim the margin to one point thanks to two controversial foul rulings.
Golden State’s head coach, Steve Kerr, was shrewd enough to put the ball in the hands of Curry, one of the best free throw shooters in NBA history. Curry’s free throws extended the Warriors’ advantage back to three points.
Memphis took a timeout and pushed the ball to half-court, but forward Santi Aldama could not find anyone to inbound the ball, resulting in a 5-second penalty and turnover.
A couple more free throws from Curry, who went 13 of 13 from the line, sealed the victory for the Warriors.
Butler led all scorers with 38 points, his highest-scoring night since joining the Warriors. Curry finished with 37 points.
Bane led Memphis with 30 points, while Morant scored 22 points despite an ailing ankle. The Grizzlies’ rookie center Zach Edey had a big night, scoring 14 points and grabbing 17 rebounds.
Golden State wins the Western Conference seventh seed and will now travel to Houston for a first-round series against the second-seeded Rockets, which begins Sunday.
Memphis, meantime, will have another shot to enter the NBA playoffs with a must-win game at home on Friday against the winner of Wednesday’s play-in game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Sacramento Kings.
The Orlando Magic clinched the Eastern Conference’s No. 7 seed earlier in the evening by defeating the Atlanta Hawks 120-95 in the first game.
Cole Anthony came off the bench to lead the Magic to their second consecutive playoff participation, scoring 26 points and dishing out six assists at the Kia Center in Orlando.
The Magic will meet the reigning NBA champion and No. 2 seed Boston Celtics in a best-of-seven first-round series that begins Sunday at TD Garden. Orlando is 2-1 against the Celtics this season.
The Magic led by as many as 22 points in the first half, but the Hawks closed the gap to three with 2:30 remaining in the third quarter. Orlando took control in the fourth quarter, outscoring Atlanta 41-22.
Wendell Carter Jr., the Magic’s center, finished with 19 points and seven rebounds, while power forward Paolo Banchero had 17 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists.
Hawks guard Trae Young, who had a game-high 28 points and six assists, was removed with 4:47 left in the fourth quarter, Atlanta trailing 107-85.
Young received two quick technical fouls after throwing the ball at one referee following a score and later refusing to deliver the ball to another official.
The Hawks have one more chance to enter the playoffs, as they face the winner of Wednesday’s Miami Heat at Chicago Bulls play-in game on Friday in Atlanta for the final Eastern Conference place.
The winner of Friday’s contest will face the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round, which begins Sunday at Rocket Arena.
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