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May 2 (UPI) -- Jordan Poole totaled 31 points off the bench and the Golden State Warriors overcame a 34-point night from Ja Morant to win Game 1 of their second-round Western Conference playoff series with the Memphis Grizzlies. Warriors forward Klay Thompson sank a go-ahead 3-pointer with 36.6 seconds remaining in the 117-116 win Sunday at FedExForum in Memphis.
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"It wasn't pretty at times, but in the playoffs all that matters is that final box score," Thompson told reporters. "We handled business, but I'm far from satisfied."
Morant nearly notched a triple-double, with 10 assists and nine rebounds for the No. 2 Grizzlies. He missed a potential game-winning shot at the final buzzer.
Game 1 featured nine lead changes and was tied a dozen times. The No. 3 Warriors outscored the Grizzlies 56-44 in the paint and 47-30 off the bench. They also outshot the Grizzlies 48.4% to 43.2% from the field.
"We have to come up with the 50-50 balls against this team," Morant said of the Warriors. "We can't allow them to get second chances or any open looks. They pretty much made us pay for it."
Morant scored 14 in the first quarter to help the Grizzlies take a 32-24 lead into the second. Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr. scored a dozen in the second, but the Warriors outscored their foes 31-29 in the quarter.
Warriors guard Stephen Curry and Poole scored 13 and 10 points, respectively, in the third. The Warriors went on a 9-0 run early in the quarter and later added another 8-0 run to keep moment. They took a 91-90 edge into the fourth.
The Warriors started the final quarter with a 12-3 run and didn't lose the lead until Morant made a layup with 2:19 remaining. Brandon Clarke gave the Grizzlies a 116-114 edge with 1:16 remaining and neither team scored on their next two possessions.
Thompson then stepped up with his clutch shot from downtown.
Poole held the ball from an inbound pass from the right baseline to start the sequence. Thompson ran around a screen at the top of the 3-point arc and caught a pass from the Warriors guard. He then faked a shot, took a dribble and drained what would prove to be the game-winner with 36.6 seconds remaining.
Morant received a pass at the top of the lane on the final sequence. He darted through the left side of the paint, dribbled through traffic and used his left hand to toss a shot off the backboard. The shot bounced back in front of the rim, resulting in the Warriors win.
Curry totaled 24 points and made five 3-pointers in the win. Thompson scored 15 points for the Warriors. Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins chipped in 17. Poole also totaled five 3-pointers, nine assists and eight rebounds in the win.
Warriors forward Draymond Green, who was ejected for a second-quarter flagrant foul, totaled six points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals in 17:01.
Jackson totaled 33 points and 10 rebounds for the Grizzlies.
The Grizzlies host the Warriors in Game 2 at 9:30 p.m. EDT Tuesday at FedExForum. The winner of the series will face the top-seeded Phoenix Suns or No. 4 Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference finals.
