NBA Round up - Warriors edge Memphis, Bucks beat Celtics in NBA playoffs

Reserve guard Jordan Poole had 31 points, nine rebounds and eight assists to power Golden State over Memphis 117-116 in an NBA playoff series opener Sunday despite the ejection of Draymond Green.

Klay Thompson sank the decisive 3-pointer with 36.6 seconds remaining and the Warriors denied Grizzlies playmaker Ja Morant twice in the final seconds.

"Big win for us to start the series, get home court advantage," Warriors guard Stephen Curry said. "And get greedy in the second game."

The Western Conference second round best-of-seven matchup will continue Tuesday at Memphis.

In Sunday's Eastern Conference opener, Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo delivered a triple double with 24 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists as the defending champion Bucks won 101-89 at Boston.

At Memphis, Curry added 24 points for Golden State while Andrew Wiggins had 17 and Thompson 15.

Morant had 34 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds and Jaren Jackson had 33 points and 10 rebounds for Memphis.

The Warriors were delivered a major setback when forward Green, a star defender in Golden State's title runs in 2015, 2017 and 2018, was ejected in the second quarter for a flagrant-2 foul, striking Brandon Clarke in the face and pulling him down  by the jersey.

"This is a huge game to win, especially with him going out early," Poole said. "We were able to fill in for the energy he has."

The Warriors responded with a strong third-quarter start.

"We were determined," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. "We knew that was a tough break that didn't go our way. We were shocked by the decision. We went on a run in the third quarter to get the lead. That established we weren't going anywhere."

Poole scored a playoff career high in 38 minutes off the bench, hitting 12-of-20 from the