‘Turned the series’: Moment that could bite Giannis; Steph’s record night in ‘ugly’ win — NBA Wrap

The Golden State Warriors overcame a miserable shooting performance to grind out a crucial comeback win against Memphis in a close Western Conference semi-final Game 4 encounter that finished 101-98.

Earlier, the Boston Celtics roared back to overturn a 10-point deficit in a heated clash over the Milwaukee Bucks.

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Tue, 10 May

Tuesday May 10th

CURRY’S CHEEKY TRADE DIG AFTER ‘UGLY’ WIN

Missing superstar Ja Morant due to knee soreness, the Grizzlies still managed to lead for the majority of the match and entered the final period up by seven points.

However, the Warriors lifted when it mattered most, as Stephen Curry came alive in the clutch to end the game with 32-points and give his side a 3-1 lead in the series.

Curry converted eight free throws over the final 45.7 seconds and had 18 of his 32 points in the final term. Draymond Green also made a crucial defensive block on a with 18 seconds remaining and the Warriors

The Warriors had struggled on offence throughout the night, with coach Steve Kerr absent due to a positive COVID test. The team was instead led by assistant Mike Brown, who yesterday was named the Sacramento Kings’ next head coach - something Curry took a crack at post-game.

“A lot of history was made,” Curry joked. “He was named head coach twice in 24 hours! I felt like we got traded to the Kings overnight.”

The Dubs missed their first 15 three point attempts and finished the half with just two made three-pointers from 20 efforts.

However, one of those triples was significant, as it cemented Stephen Curry’s status as the first player to make 500 three-pointers in playoff history.

Praised for his history making 3-point accolade, Curry responded by describing the Warriors shooting performance as “historically bad” and “ugly”.

The Warriors scored 142 points in Game 3, but could manage just 101 tonight. Fortunately for them, Memphis also struggled from the field, shooting just over 40%.

Besides Curry’s 32 points, 5 rebounds and 8 assists, the Warriors were led by Andrew Wiggins’ 17 points, 10 rebounds and 2 blocks.

Jaren Jackson Jnr led the Grizzlies with 21 points and added 5 assists, while Steven Adams bagged another double-double with 10 points and 15 rebounds.

MOMENT THAT TURNED EPIC SERIES AS CELTICS HIT BACK

The Boston Celtics have stormed back from a 10 point deficit to edge the Milwaukee Bucks 116-108 in a fiery Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semi Finals.

The blockbuster clash was highlighted by the herculean efforts of unsung Celtics big Al Horford and Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, who combined physicality with finesse to play out arguably the match of the playoffs.

Horford was colossal for the Celtics, bagging a career high 30 playoff points at the ripe old age of 35 while Jayson Tatum chipped in with a significant 30 points of his own.

As usual, Giannis was largely untouchable in the paint, finishing with a whopping 34 points and 18 rebounds.

The Greek Freak’s performance was capped off by a monster dunk and stare down on Horford in the third quarter, before being slapped with a technical foul for “taunting”.

Horford would have his revenge, however, returning serve in the fourth quarter with an equally emphatic dunk of his own on last year’s finals MVP.

Horford on Giannis! POSTER & elbow! | 01:03

Horford was then called for his own technical following a late elbow after the play.

The Bucks led for the majority of the match but were met with a Celtics onslaught in the 4th quarter, as a 15 point swing saw the Celtics emerge victorious.

Ultimately, the loss for the Bucks emphasised a gaping hole left by All-Star guard Khris Middleton, as Giannis was given little help from his team offensively in the 4th quarter.

Jrue Holiday could manage just 5 of 22 from the field, as the Celtics clearly had the edge in quality shot creation.

The series is tied at 2-2.