SAN FRANCISCO – One in all Golden State’s finest defenders is questionable for its Tuesday night time play-in sport towards Memphis.
Moses Moody started struggling again spasms through the morning shoot-around and is a sport time resolution.
Moody has performed in 74 video games and has been an every-night starter subsequent to Jimmy Butler through the second half of the season. He has averaged 9.8 factors whereas being arguably the group’s prime perimeter stopper.
Ought to he play, Warriors coach Steve Kerr mentioned Moody is predicted to be the first defender on Memphis’ famous person level guard Ja Morant.
But when he can’t go, or is restricted, then the Warriors consider they nonetheless produce other stable choices to throw on the participant who scored 36 within the groups’ final matchup on April 1.
“Gary’s healthy, so Gary (Payton II) will guard him,” Kerr mentioned. “Brandin Podziemski too, you now, would be the two main guys, but we’ll mix and match and go from there.”
No matter who’s guarding him, Kerr mentioned that maintaining Morant out of transition will likely be key. The Grizzlies lead the NBA in tempo at 103.69.
Kerr mentioned that to counter that, it’s not so simple as strolling the ball up the ground on every possession.
“It’s not about playing slower, it’s about playing smarter,” Kerr remarked. “Way too many turnovers the other night against the Clippers, and we can’t have those careless turnovers tonight and expect to get away with it given their pace.”
The Warriors beat Memphis 134-125 in early April, with Curry scoring 52 factors and making a dozen 3-pointers.
“I think we can draw a lot from that game, for example … allowing Curry to go for 52 points is not a winning recipe,” Grizzlies coach Tuomas Iisalo quipped.
Kuminga’s position up within the air
After being a daily a part of the rotation since getting back from a extreme ankle harm in March, Jonathan Kuminga was a wholesome scratch for Sunday’s regular-season finale towards the Clippers.
Kerr declined to say whether or not or not he had spoken to Kuminga about his position within the playoffs transferring ahead, shaking his head when requested. When questioned if he was involved about Kuminga’s morale, Kerr saved issues quick.
“When you through the 82 game season, you factor in everything,” Kerr mentioned. “You try to help everybody along, understanding where everyone is. When you get to the playoffs, everything goes out the window.”
