Klay's game-winning three-pointer seals Game 1 for Warriors

Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson Joe Rondone-USA TODAY Sports

Warriors take Game 1 vs. Grizzlies on Klay Thompson's game-winning three-pointer

By Victor Barbosa | Last updated May 1, 2022 7:05 PM ET

After missing the last two seasons due to an ACL and then Achilles tear, Klay Thompson has had an unprecedented journey back to competing in the NBA playoffs. The 32-year-old is plenty familiar with big-time postseason moments, having earned titles during the Golden State Warriors' dynasty last decade, but it now appears that he is fully back to his clutch ways.

Thompson's three-pointer with 36.6 seconds left in regulation proved to be the game-winner on Sunday, landing the Warriors a 117-116 road victory in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinal series against the Memphis Grizzlies.

KLAY GIVES THE WARRIORS A 1 PT LEAD!@warriors 117 | @memgrizz 116
11.2 remaining#NBAPlayoffs presented by Google Pixel on ABC pic.twitter.com/CS14t95SGK
— NBA (@NBA) May 1, 2022

In a contest where their longtime teammate and defensive leader Draymond Green was controversially ejected in the second quarter, both Thompson and Stephen Curry had pivotal defensive stops on Grizzlies superstar Ja Morant in the waning moments of action to secure the win.

STEPH WITH A HUGE PLAY ON DEFENSE pic.twitter.com/6FpeMT7rPP
— NBA TV (@NBATV) May 1, 2022

THE WARRIORS HANG ON TO TAKE GAME 1 ‼️ pic.twitter.com/GIqVimvDNi
— NBA TV (@NBATV) May 1, 2022

Jordan Poole erupted for a team-high 31 points in 38 minutes on 12-for-20 shooting (five-for-10 on three-pointers), while Curry added 24 points. In the loss, Morant (34 points) and Jaren Jackson Jr. (33 points) combined to produce over half of Memphis' scoring.

Victor Barbosa

Victor Barbosa is a passionate follower of MLB, the NBA and NFL, with a deep interest in Boston-area teams. He graduated from Springfield College -- The Birthplace of Basketball -- in 2013 with a degree in Communications-Sports Journalism. Previous bylines include FanSided, Heavy and Syracuse

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