SAN FRANCISCO — It was ugly, was compelling late and finished with a comeback.
The Golden State Warriors snuck out a 101-98 win in the Western Conference semifinals series on Monday at Chase Center. The Warriors lead 3-1.
A terrible shooting night for both teams allowed the game to be close late. The Warriors took their first lead with 45.7 seconds remaining in the game.
Dillon Brooks, who missed Game 3 because of a suspension, was 5 of 19 from the field and 2 of 9 from 3-point range for 12 points. His shot was not falling, yet he continued to shoot. It may have been the ugliest shooting performance amid a plethora of bad ones.
Golden State went 0-for-15 from 3-point range before Otto Porter Jr. finally splashed one with 3:24 to go before halftime. The Warriors shot just 10% from distance in the first half. They settled for 24.3% for the game.
Steph Curry led the Warriors with 32 points and eight assists. Golden State shot 40% from the field.
The Warriors were without head coach Steve Kerr, who less than two hours before tipoff was placed in health and safety protocols. Mike Brown, who earlier in the day was named the Sacramento Kings’ head coach once the Warriors’ season ends, coached in Kerr’s absence.
“I felt like we got traded to the Kings overnight,” Curry joked during the TNT postgame interview with Jared Greenberg, while also referencing the Warriors’ “historically bad shooting.”
Ja Morant missed the game with right knee soreness after tweaking his troublesome knee in Game 3. Morant received an MRI, but the results were not revealed.
Jaren Jackson Jr. led the Grizzlies in Morant’s absence. Jackson had 21 points, five rebounds, five blocks and two steals. Memphis shot 41.7% from the field and 25.7% from distance.
Game 5 is 9:30 p.m. ET Wednesday in Memphis.