The Golden State Warriors punched their playoff ticket Tuesday night. They defeated the Memphis Grizzlies in dramatic fashion, 121-116, in the play-in tournament at Chase Center. With this win, the Warriors are assured of finishing as the seventh seed of the Western Conference playoffs. Now they’re readying themselves to face the Houston Rockets in a best-of-seven first-round series that begins Sunday.
Jimmy Butler III was huge for the Warriors in this one, going lightning hot and scoring 38 meaningful points. He demonstrated his unique scoring finesse and skill. He impacted every facet of the game, doing well on the boards with seven rebounds and dishing out six assists. Butler was the catalyst, as the senior captain led a run of four straight scoring possessions. His contributions pushed the Warriors out to a quick 31-18 advantage in the contest.
Over the course of the game Butler showed everything he can bring to the table. He set up Gary Payton II for a nice cutting dunk, and later set up Post for a three-pointer. Additionally, Butler executed a three-point play and converted another three-pointer, solidifying his status as a key player for the Warriors. It was his second-straight game with more than 30 points, and he’d done it shooting 12-for-20 from the floor.
Stephen Curry played a pretty important role in all this too by scoring 37 points of his own in that victory. His scoring ability worked perfectly alongside Butler’s skills going downhill and kept the Heat cooking defensively for the full 48 minutes. The see-sawing slugfest sent the rubber match fans to eternal bliss with both teams waging an epic war for playoff positioning.
The Warriors’ victory clinched their playoff berth. More than anything, it proved their competitive spirit, their ability to finish strong and win big in clutch situations. With crucial contributions from their star players, they managed to fend off the Grizzlies and demonstrate their readiness for the upcoming challenge against the Rockets.
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