OAKLAND, Calif. — Golden State Warriors Coach Steve Kerr joked before Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals that reporters should have two stories ready: One if his team looked well-rested and won, another if it looked rusty and lost.

“It was right in the middle, so you’ve got to write a third story,” he teased afterward.

Neither the Warriors nor Grizzlies really felt good about the way they played. The difference is the Warriors did what they usually do at home: take care of business – and comfortably, too.

Stephen Curry had 22 points and seven assists, and the Warriors wore down undermanned Memphis in a 101-86 victory in Sunday’s series opener.

“I think now we’ve got the cobwebs out of our offensive game. We should be able to build some momentum,” Curry said.

Klay Thompson added 18 points and Draymond Green scored 16 to help the top-seeded Warriors roll to their 21st straight win at raucous Oracle Arena.

Advertisement

They led by nine at the half, 20 late in the third quarter and never let the Grizzlies come close in the fourth despite Green and center Andrew Bogut getting in foul trouble.

Marc Gasol had 21 points and nine rebounds, and Zach Randolph finished with 20 points and nine rebounds for a Memphis team missing point guard Mike Conley. He sat on the bench in a suit, his left eye still swollen, as he continues to recover from surgery to repair broken bones in his face.

WIZARDS 104, HAWKS 98: Bradley Beal shook off a sprained ankle to score 28 points and Washington won on the road to remain unbeaten in the postseason, knocking off top-seeded Atlanta in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Taking advantage of a week off since their sweep of Toronto in the opening round, the Wizards wore down the Hawks in the fourth quarter.

Otto Porter scored a couple of big baskets coming down the stretch and Marcin Gortat sealed it with a lay-in off a pass from John Wall with 14.6 seconds remaining.

The Wizards became the first team in NBA history to win four straight Game 1s on the road, improving to 8-1 in the playoffs away from D.C. over the last two years.

The Hawks needed six games to beat eight-seeded Brooklyn and had to open this best-of-seven series with about a 36-hour turnaround. After racing to a 37-26 lead after the first quarter, Atlanta couldn’t make anything in the fourth.


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.