The Golden State Warriors defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 117-116 in Game 1 of the NBA Western Conference semifinals at FedExForum in Memphis on Sunday to lead 1-0 in the series.

This game was full of surprises. For example, the Warriors matched the Grizzlies, who led the league in offensive rebounds during the regular season, 16-16 on the offensive boards; the Grizzlies, who were below the league average in 3-point shooting this season, were 16-of-40 from downtown on Sunday; Klay Thompson, who shot 90.2 percent from the free throw line during the regular season, missed two key free throws when the Warriors led by one point with only six seconds to go in the fourth quarter; Ja Morant, one of the most explosive players in today's NBA, was blocked by Stephen Curry when he drove to the rim at 0:11 in the final quarter.

After all of these unexpected moments, the Warriors secured this valuable victory on the road. Coach Steve Kerr replaced Jordan Poole with Gary Payton II in the starting lineup with the clear purpose of having elite defender Payton II defend Morant.

However, Morant drained two 3-pointers less than two minutes into the first quarter. When the Warriors were still contemplating whether to leave him open outside, Morant began to charge the Warriors' paint with his teammates. As a result, Curry, Thompson and Payton II were all called for two fouls in the first quarter. Thompson soon received his third one after playing a little more than one minute in the second quarter and had to return to the bench as a result. Such inconsistency on the court affected Thompson's shooting. He shot 6-of-19 from the field, including 3-for-10 from deep, but his last triple at 0:36 in the final quarter put the Warriors on top 117-116.

The Warriors took another hit at the end of the first half when Draymond Green was ejected with a flagrant 2 foul. Green was the core member of the team's small-ball squad on both the defensive and offensive fronts. Without him, Kerr's plan to fight the Grizzlies' aggressiveness with speed was on the edge of failing.

Nonetheless, Green's ejection became a blessing in disguise. As the Warriors put their only standard big man, Kevon Looney, into the starting lineup, the Grizzlies grew less productive in the paint. Looney played more than 10 minutes in the third quarter, during which the Grizzlies shot only 2-of-6 in the paint. The Warriors led 36-29 in this quarter and gained a one-point lead at 91-90 afterward.

Of course, Looney wasn't the only contributor to the Warriors' rally in the second half. Jonathan Kuminga and Otto Porter Jr. both played as big man to protect the paint for the team. Payton II grabbed a team-leading four offensive rebounds. During the last two minutes of the final quarter, the Warriors used an even smaller lineup in which Andrew Wiggins played center. In multiple possessions, he switched to defend every single player, ranging from Morant to Jaren Jackson Jr., of the Grizzlies.

While the rest of them team spared no effort on defense, Curry and Poole took over the Warriors' offense. Though Curry had to consume more energy to overcome the Grizzlies' tough defense on him to receive the ball, he still managed to exploit the extremely short gaps he found, turning them into five triples and 24 points.

Poole, who entered the game from the bench for the first time in the playoffs, became the best-performing Warrior on the offensive front to score 31 points, eight rebounds and nine assists in Sunday's game. He contributed 10 points in both the second and third quarters, during which the Warriors led their opponents.

The Grizzlies were very close to winning the series opener at home. Morant had 34 points, nine rebounds, 10 assists and he even made four 3-pointers. The only thing he could do better was trying to earn more than three free throws. Jackson Jr.'s explosion shocked the Warriors even harder as he hit 6-for-9 from downtown and had six offensive rebounds to get 33 points.

The Grizzlies are unlikely to shoot so well from outside in the following games of the series. Neither should they allow the Warriors to outscore them by 12 points in the paint (56-44). This side of the West semifinals is still a close series. The team that makes fewer mistakes is more likely to win.

Game 2 will still take place at FedExForum on Tuesday.