May 9, 2015; Memphis, TN, USA; Golden State Warriors center Marreese Speights (5) brings the ball up-court against Memphis Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph (50) during game three of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at FedExForum. Memphis Grizzlies beat Golden State Warriors 99-88. Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports
The Warriors now find themselves trailing in this series. After winning the first game at Oracle, the Memphis Grizzlies have responded with two wins after yet another great defensive performance. Now, the Warriors must try and steal Game 4 to avoid getting down 3-1 in the series.
The Warriors had an opportunity to win this game and Marreese Speights led the charge at the beginning of the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, after scoring six consecutive points, Speights suffered a sprained calf. According to Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News, it’s unlikely Speights will play in Game 4:
Marreese Speights (sprained calf) is going for an MRI but a Warriors source said it doesn’t look like he’ll play in Game 4.
— Tim Kawakami (@timkawakami) May 10, 2015
Speights has the ability to provide a scoring punch off the bench and after struggling to score these past two games, the Warriors will miss him. Speights has a nice jumper and can spread the floor for the Warriors, but now it looks like they will have to turn to David Lee.
The two time All-Star has not seen the floor much this postseason. Lee was dealing with an injury in the series against the Pelicans, but it looks like he is healthy now, but it’s hard to tell since has not had the opportunity to play. Well, it looks like he will get some minutes with Speights sidelined and maybe he provide something positive off the bench.
The Warriors don’t need him to score 20 points, but 10-12 points could be the difference.