SAN FRANCISCO – The Chase Center crowd chanted “Whoop that trick! Whoop that trick!” late in the fourth quarter after the Golden State Warriors pulled away with a 11-point lead.
The cheers mocked the Memphis Grizzlies’ unofficial anthem, which Stephen Curry had said was the team’s mentality heading into Game 5, a statement that upset Memphis.
The Grizzlies made their statement in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals Wednesday night, romping the Warriors by 39 points.
But it was Golden State who put the young and athletic Grizzlies in their place Friday night in Game 6, defeating them 110-96.
The Warriors’ win punched their ticket to the Western Conference Finals and ended Memphis’ season.
With under three minutes remaining, Klay Thompson skipped down the court after making a 3-pointer with less than three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter to give the Warriors a 13-point lead before he galloped back to the team huddle, high-fiving every teammate in the process.
The Warriors didn’t look back from there.
“Game 6 Klay” made an appearance Friday night, scoring a team-high 30 points. Curry scored 11 of his 29 points in the final quarter.
The Warriors started Kevon Looney for the first time this series. He replaced Jonathan Kuminga to give Golden State an aggressive rebounder and veteran defender to go up against Grizzlies center Steven Adams. The insertion of Looney created a more lively start to the game for the Warriors after slow starts hindered them in previous games.
They pulled out to an 8-point lead at one point, though the Grizzlies were able to come back. Neither team took a double-digit lead until the Warriors’ pulled ahead late in the fourth quarter.
Rebounding has been a key factor in this series, and the Warriors were the better team at it on Friday as they have been for most of the series. They out-rebounded the Grizzlies 82-53, dominating the offensive boards 25-10.
Looney was by far the best rebounder on the court. He grabbed a career-high 22 rebounds and pulled down as many as the entire Grizzlies team in the first quarter. His 11 opening-quarter rebounds were the most for any quarter for him in his career and matched a Warriors playoff record set by Larry Smith in 1987.
Draymond Green finished with a double-double, grabbing 16 rebounds and scoring 14 points. Wiggins, who was one of the Warriors’ most impactful players Friday, had 18 points and 10 rebounds.
The Warriors appeared to be literally throwing the game away with several ill-advised passes and sloppy ball handling. Golden State tallied 17 turnovers.
Desmond Bane had 25 points, Dillon Brooks added 30 and Jaren Jackson Jr. recorded 12 points and four blocks.
The Grizzlies were without leading scorer Ja Morant for the third straight game as he nursed a bone bruise to his right knee.
Meanwhile, the Warriors were without coach Steve Kerr for the second straight game after he tested positive for COVID-19. Mike Brown, who was hired to coach the Sacramento Kings earlier this week, was at helm for the third straight game. He boasts an all-time postseason record of 13-1 while filling in for Kerr.
Brooks was assessed a Flagrant 1 foul in the second quarter after he pushed Curry. With three flagrant foul points, Brooks was in jeopardy of being suspended for one game, but the Warriors didn’t even allow him a chance, effectively ending his season with their win.
The Warriors will have four days off before the beginning of the Western Conference Finals. They’ll play the winner of the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks series, which will be decided in Game 7 Sunday night.
