The Golden State Warriors beat the Memphis Grizzlies 142-112 in Game 3 of the NBA Western Conference semifinals at Chase Center in San Francisco on Saturday, taking a 2-1 series lead.

Having trailed 28-26 in the first quarter, the Warriors scored 38, 37 and 41 points in the following three quarters, respectively. The team shot 53-for-84 from the field and 17-for-32 at the 3-point line. Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole combined for 78 points for the Warriors.

Boiling hot shooting touch aside, the Warriors built their efficient offense on screen plays on Saturday night. Curry and Poole called for more ball screens, especially from teammates being defended by Ja Morant, to exploit the opponents' offensive engine as a major defensive weakness.

Moreover, the Warriors also did their best to create mismatches for Curry to exploit. Though he missed six of his eight attempts beyond the arc, he was efficient in the paint, shooting 5-for-6 and earning 12 free throws. Curry, Poole, Andrew Wiggins and Jonathan Kuminga all scored in double figures in the paint, helping the Warriors lead 62-44 on this front.

Despite Golden State prioritizing defense in the paint, the Grizzlies only knocked down 16 of their 43 3-point attempts on Saturday. The defensive scheme kept Memphis from scoring in their favorite way: charging the rim. Only Morant achieved his regular offensive production with 14 points in the paint, but he only had five free throws, much fewer than his playoff average of 9.7 this season.

Compared with the Warriors, the Grizzlies played less and less like themselves. They were outscored in the paint and their offensive rebounds continued to drop. More importantly, the Warriors were found more ways to beat their defense. As the Grizzlies continued to cut the size of their squad, the team relied more on Jaren Jackson Jr. to protect the rim. However, even when Jackson Jr. managed to avoid foul trouble, like he did on Saturday night, his poor defensive reading began to hurt the team more and more.

Jackson Jr. was not the only one who kept making wrong defensive decisions. Out of excessive confidence in their energy and athleticism, the Grizzlies switched too easily facing screen plays, even if it meant leaving the big man outside the paint. Meanwhile, many of the Grizzlies' rotating choices were too reckless. The Warriors are unlikely to stay as hot as they were in Saturday's game from downtown in the rest of the series, but they were already realizing all it takes is one extra pass to create an open 3-pointer.

Morant was spotted grabbing his right knee in the last minutes of the fourth quarter. Both he and Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins blamed Jordan Poole for hurting Morant while double-teaming him with Wiggins. In that possession, Poole touched Morant's right knee from behind.

Both Poole, his teammates and Warriors head coach Steve Kerr denied it was a dirty move. Medical expert Rajpal Brar disagreed that it was Poole's move that hurt Morant. Some posted a clip of Morant's knee smashing into Thompson as he attempted to close out a three on defense, claiming that was the moment when Morant hurt himself.

The status of Morant remains unclear. If he has a serious knee injury, his performance will take a hit judging by his explosive playing style. Dillion Brooks, who cost Gary Payton II the West semifinals with a flagrant 2 foul and was suspended for Game 3, will return for the Grizzlies in Game 4 on May 9. He may be helpful in defending Curry, but Brooks is no match for Morant on offense.