Monte Poole joined Grant Liffmann on Dubs Talk to discuss how the Warriors should guard Ja Morant now that Gary Payton II will miss the remainder of the series with a fractured elbow.
Patrick Beverley is no longer participating in the NBA playoffs, but he sure has a lot to say.
In Game 2 between the Warriors and Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday night, Ja Morant torched the Dubs for 47 points on 15-of-31 shooting to lead the Grizzlies to a series-tying win at FedExForum.
Beverley’s team, the Minnesota Timberwolves, were eliminated in six games in the first round of the playoffs by the second-seeded Grizzlies. The Wolves found ways to blow double-digit leads in the fourth quarter of three of their four losses to Memphis, but that didn’t stop the outspoken veteran guard from weighing in on the Warriors’ 106-101 loss.
With our All Access Daily newsletter, stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams!
SIGN UP HERE On Wednesday, Beverley logged onto Twitter to let it be known he thought his Wolves did a better job stopping Morant than the Warriors did.
Technically, he’s not wrong. Minnesota did keep Morant in check during most of the first-round series, holding him to 21.5 points per game on 38.6 percent shooting from the field and 20 percent from deep during the six-game series. The Timberwolves' plan against Morant was to consistently swarm the paint on his drives to the basket. However, that left the rest of the defense exposed, allowing Grizzlies teammates like Desmond Bane open to drain 3-pointers.
RELATED: Warriors need Steph to fire back at Ja, Grizzlies to win series
Golden State Warriors
Find the latest Golden State Warriors news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Bay Area and California.
The Warriors’ original plan to stop Morant is out indefinitely. Gary Payton II started the first two games of the series, but he suffered a fractured elbow three minutes into Game 2 on a Flagrant 2 foul by Dillon Brooks that coach Steve Kerr called “dirty” after the game. Morant scored 44 of his 47 points with Payton out, and he poured in 15 points during clutch time in the game's final five minutes.
Yes, Golden State needs to figure out its defensive strategy against the electric Morant in Game 3 and beyond. But Beverley calling out the Dubs from his couch after Morant ended his own basketball season early seems ... a bit odd.
