The NBA game tournament of 2025 advanced on Tuesday and, although both seeds No. 7 advanced, the results were far from being predetermined, particularly at the West Conference, where the Golden State Warriors barely surpassed the Mephis Grizzlies.
Here is a summary of day 1 of the game tournament:
Jimmy Butler and Stephen Curry threw their arms and hugged.
Playoff Jimmy in all his brilliance in the big stage took all the curry pressure, and are now taking the Golden State Warriors to the playoffs.
“I know I want to win a championship so that he needs it, what would be number 5?” Butler said.
Butler had 38 points, seven rebounds and six assists creating opportunities at both extremes at each occasion, Curry scored 37, and the Warriors obtained the seventh seed at the West Conference by beating Memphis Grizzlies 121-116 on Tuesday night in the game tournament.
Curry knocked down a baseline triple with 1:50 and one from the left wing with a minute on the clock and then turned four free throws at the end of five seconds.
Golden State now goes to a series of the first round of the best of seven with the rockets that begin with game 1 on Sunday in Houston.
“He took 83 games, but we are just where we want to be, he is back in the playoffs and we have a chance,” said coach Steve Kerr.
After a couple of curry free throws with the remaining 5.4 seconds, the Grizzlies had a last chance, but Santi Aldama could not enter the ball before a five -second rape.
Desmond Bane scored 30 points and Ja Morant 22 for Memphis, who will go home to play Friday against the winner of the confrontation of the Mavericks-Kings on Wednesday night in Sacramento to determine the eighth place of playoffs.
With the Grizzlies in a roll in the middle of the third, Butler grabbed the impulse with a robbery and a dump. He triggered 12 for 20 in a second consecutive action of 30 points and his highest score game since he joined the Warriors on the exchange deadline. He made 12 of 18 free throws, after 63 of 68 of the line during the eight previous games in April.
Morant fell hard rolling his right ankle when he stepped on Buddy Hield’s foot and Quinten Post received a foul with 4:25 remaining in the third, but he got up and finished the three-point play to pull the Grizzlies within 82-81.
Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 18 points, while Zach Edey contributed 14 points, 17 rebounds and hit two free throws with 14.3 seconds.
Curry had eight rebounds, four assists and fired 9 by 22 while Scotty Pippen Jr.
Curry had turned on the Grizzlies for 52 points on their local floor in a 134-125 victory on April 1, and the Grizzlies did a priority this time, so Butler took over.
“It’s different,” said Draymond Green.
He led four consecutive possessions to put the Warriors at the end of the first quarter, helping in the court fall of Gary Payton II, distributing to publish a 3 and making a 3 -point shot and a three -point game he himself. Butler showed no signs of being affected by a tender left quadriceps muscle after Kawhi Leonard knelt on Sunday.
The Warriors hoped to avoid this additional game, but lost in extra time against the clippers at the end of the regular season on Sunday for their third defeat at home during the last week.
Curry, Green and the Warriors had been 0-3 in game games during the appearances in 2021 and last year. The Grizzlies eliminated them in Chase Center with a 117-112 victory in overtime in the ’21.
Orlando Magic stars Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner entered the NBA game game on Tuesday with an average of more than 60 points combined against the Atlanta Hawks this season. But, while the two struggled to find their offensive, the Bank of Magic took a step forward and took them to a 120-95 victory.
Cole Anthony left the bank to lead Orlando with 26 points and six assists, while Anthony Black scored 16 points in 6 of 7 shots, and was a higher in the game in 28 minutes. With the victory, the Magic will advance to play in a series of first round playoffs against the Boston Celtics from Sunday in Boston.
After jumping to an early two -digit advantage, it seemed that the magic would pass to that seed of 7, but then the Hawks left the half -time rest. They cut the margin to 71-68 with three remaining minutes in the third quarter, since Orlando’s offensive cooled. It is common for magic to have bad offensive sections during games and that will be a problem to advance. He almost knocked them down on Tuesday, but they started and did not let Atlanta capture the advantage, before taking out the Hawks out of the water in the last quarter.
Magic tends to compensate for its lack of offensive with one of the best defenses in the NBA. That was exhibited on Tuesday when they kept the Hawks to 38.1% of shots from the field and 19% from the range of 3 points. While bringing Young ended with 28 points, it was an inefficient 8 of 21 and the magic got under his skin to the point that he kicked the ball with anger in addition to throwing the ball to an officer, which earned him a couple of technical faults and an expulsion in the fourth quarter.
Banchero ended with 17 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, but Orlando will need more of him if he wants any possibility against Boston.
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