Tuesday night featured some exciting NBA play as the Memphis Grizzlies took control of their playoff series with the Los Angeles Clippers and the Denver Nuggets stayed alive in their series against the Golden State Warriors.
The Grizzlies-Clippers game was a tough one, but featured the Grizzlies taking the game with a 103=93 victory, taking a 3-2 lead in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.
Zach Randolph scored 10 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter, and the Grizzlies capitalized on Blake Griffin's ankle injury. Guard Mike Conley added 20 points, and the Grizzlies will look to wrap up the series Friday at home.
"It certainly feels better than going home down 2-3," coach Lionel Hollins said.
Chris Paul led Los Angeles with 35 points, tying a career playoff high.
"We've got to be desperate. That's how it is," Paul said. "I've said the playoffs don't start 'til somebody loses at home, so I guess now they've started. We lost here at home. Now it's do or die in Memphis."
In the Warriors-Nuggets game, Warriors coach Mark Jackson accused the Nuggets of dirty play and attempting to take cheap shots at Golden State star Stephen Curry.
"They tried to send hit men at Steph," Jackson said in his postgame news conference following the Warriors' 107-100 loss Tuesday night at the Pepsi Center.
"There were some dirty plays early," Jackson said. "It's playoff basketball. It's all right. Make no mistake, we were up 3-1 [in the series] playing hard, clean physical basketball, not trying to hurt anybody."
The focus of Jackson's displeasure seemed to focus around Nuggets forward Kenneth Faried.
Jackson noted that Faried set some "great screens and some great illegal ones, too."
"He did his job. Hey, I played with guys like that. They get paid to do that. Dale Davis, Anthony Davis, Charles Oakley. You get paid to do it. So give them credit," Jackson said. "As an opposing coach, I see it, and I'm trying to protect my guys."
However, Faried was stunned at the idea that Jackson even considered that the Nuggets intentionally meant to hurt Curry.
"That's intriguing because I think they were purposefully trying to hurt me every play I went for a rebound -- the hits, the grab to the throat, just the negative stuff you usually don't see in the regular season that's not getting called in the playoffs," Faried said.
The playoffs continue tonight as the New York Knicks will look to close out their series against the Boston Celtics. In the Hawks-Pacers series either side will look to take command of the series as and take a 3-2 lead over the other. And finally the Oklahoma City Thunder will look to end their series against the Houston Rockets at home.
Schedule:
Celtics-Knicks will air at 7 p.m. on TNT
Hawks-Pacers will air at 8 p.m. on NBATV
Rockets-Thunder will air at 9:30 p.m. on TNT
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