ANKARA
The Memphis Grizzlies defeated the Golden State Warriors 97-90 Tuesday night to even the series at 1-1 in the Eastern Conference Playoffs Semi-Final showdown.
The Grizzlies' point-guard Mike Conley, who suffered an elbow to the face in their first-round matchup with the Portland Trail Blazers, came back after eight days to rescue his team against the Warriors.
Wearing a mask to cover his swollen face and his red left eye, Conley poured in with 22 points and three assists in just 27 minutes of action.
The Grizzlies' big men Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol were also crucial to the victory; Randolph scored 20 points and grabbed seven rebounds, while Gasol chipped in 15 points and six rebounds.
The story of the match was not Grizzlies' offense, it was their defense.
Thirty-three-year-old defensive specialist Tony Allen was on duty to stop the Warriors' 'Splash Brothers' Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. He forced them to take challenging shots all night and also contributed with four steals to help his team topple the Warriors in their home ground.
The last time the Golden State Warriors lost a match in their home court was against the Chicago Bulls in the regular season game on Jan. 27. Bulls beat the Warriors 113-111 in overtime.
The Warriors season was nearly perfect at their home court; they grabbed 39 out of a possible 41 home wins.
For the Warriors, Most Valuable Player 'MVP' Stephen Curry was not on his best form; he scored 19 points and dished out six assists.
Curry was only 2-11 behind the three-point line. His 'Splash-Brother', Klay Thompson, was as bad as Curry. Thompson only scored 13 points on 6-15 shooting.
- Atlanta Hawks beats Washington Wizards to even the series at 1-1
In the other match of the night, the Atlanta Hawks defeated the Washington Wizards 106-90, making the series even at 1-1.
Playing without their superstar John Wall because of a wrist injury, the Washington Wizards pushed the Hawks to the limit again. But the Hawks were able to outscore the Wizards 26-15 in the final quarter to finish them off.
Hawks' small-forward DeMarre Carroll scored 22 points and big men Al Horford and Paul Millsap each scored 18 in the win for the Hawks.
Until the loss, the Washington Wizards were a perfect 5-0 in the 2015 Playoffs, which is a franchise high.
Shooting guard Bradley Beal scored 20 points and made seven assists, while the back-up point guard Ramon Sessions, who was in the starting five because of Wall's absence, made a huge 21-point effort. But these were not enough for the Wizards.
The NBA Playoff action will continue with two games on Wednesday, with the Houston Rockets hosting the Los Angeles Clippers in the second match of the Western Conference Semis, while the Cleveland Cavaliers will host the Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference Semis.
