The Memphis Grizzlies hope to have Ja Morant available, and the Golden State Warriors are confident they will have Jordan Poole in uniform when the second- and third-seeded teams in the Western Conference playoffs collide in Game 4 of their semifinal series Monday night at San Francisco.

After Golden State had taken command of their eventual 142-112 home win in Game 3 on Saturday night, Morant limped off the court favoring his right knee with 6:19 remaining following a collision of sorts with Poole.

All participants were at a loss for words in explaining exactly what caused the injury but when the dust settled, the Grizzlies were calling for a Poole suspension, while the third-year guard called any allegations of dirty play crazy.

“It was a basketball play when we doubled him,” Poole said afterward. “I hit the ball and I was going for the ball. I mean, obviously you don’t want to see anybody get hurt. I’m not even that type of player. I respect everybody. Hopefully he gets better.”

While the Grizzlies awaited results from Morant’s knee examination Sunday, they also expected to hear from the NBA on a possible punishment for Poole, who at one point put his hand on Morant’s knee shortly after making contact from behind.

No foul was called.

“Jordan Poole actually grabbed his knee and yanked it, which kind of triggered whatever happened,” Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins said. “So I am actually going to be very curious to see what happens after that.”

Several Grizzlies repeated a phrase Warriors coach Steve Kerr used in Game 2, when he insisted Memphis’ Dillon Brooks “broke the code” by clobbering Gary Payton II from behind. Payton came away with a fractured elbow in the fall, and Brooks was given a one-game suspension.

Poole has scored 31, 20 and 27 points in the first three games of the series. Only Morant (115) and Stephen Curry (81) have higher point totals in the series than Poole (78).

Dillon is eligible to return for Game 4, and the Grizzlies could use the defensive specialist’s help on the perimeter. Curry (30 points), Poole (27) and Klay Thompson (21) all went over 20 points in Saturday’s offensive showcase.

It was the third time this postseason that the trio all scored 20 or more in the same game. The Warriors are 3-0 in those games, with two of those in the first round against the Denver Nuggets.

The 142-point explosion — the second-highest total in Golden State postseason history — was more than Morant could counter. One game after pouring in 47 points in Memphis’ Game 2 win that evened the series, he put up a game-high 34 in the losing cause.

Morant’s 115 total points are the highest ever for the first three games of a Western Conference semifinal series. Only Michael Jordan (133 in 1990 and 118 in 1996) scored more in the first three games of the Eastern Conference semis.

Grizzlies guard De’Anthony Melton noted that getting Brooks back should help Memphis at both ends of the court.

“Dillon brings a lot of fire, offensive creativity to us, and just his mojo out there,” Melton said. “We’re going to regroup, put this in the rear-view mirror and keep on pushing.”

Melton said he expects Morant to be a part of it.

“He’s like Wolverine out there,” Melton said. “He could be limping one day, the next day be fine. He’s a warrior. He’s a competitor. He’s just a hooper. Who knows what his level of injury is at? He understands his body, and he understands what the team needs, so he’ll make the best decision.”

–Field Level Media

Luka Doncic had a double-double and Dorian Finney-Smith led a 3-point shooting barrage as the host Dallas Mavericks defeated the visiting Phoenix Suns 111-101 on Sunday to even their Western Conference semifinal series 2-2.

Doncic had 26 points and 11 assists and Finney-Smith scored 24 points, making 8 of 12 3-pointers as the Mavericks finished 20 of 44 from beyond the arc. Jalen Brunson scored 18 points, Davis Bertans scored 12, Maxi Kleber had 11 and Spencer Dinwiddie had 10.

Devin Booker scored 35 points, Jae Crowder had 15, Deandre Ayton added 14 and 11 rebounds and Cameron Johnson scored 11 to lead the Suns, who made 9 of 25 3-pointers.

Suns guard Chris Paul played just 23 minutes, finishing with five points and seven assists before fouling with 8:58 left.

Game 5 will be Tuesday night in Phoenix.

The Mavericks led 87-78 when Paul returned to the game with five fouls and 10:28 remaining. The lead was still eight when Paul fouled out a minute and a half later.

Mikal Bridges’ basket got Phoenix within six points before Finney-Smith made consecutive 3-pointers to complete an 8-0 run that gave Dallas a 97-83 lead midway through the fourth quarter.

Dallas led by seven points when Paul went to the bench after committing his fifth foul with 9:32 left in the third quarter. Shortly after Paul’s departure, the Mavericks scored seven straight points for a 75-63 lead.

Booker scored six points to help Phoenix trim the lead to four, but Dallas scored the last five points to push the lead to 87-78 at the end of the quarter.

Finney-Smith and Bertans each made two 3-pointers as the Mavericks turned a 19-13 lead into a 37-25 advantage at the end of the first quarter.

Bertans made consecutive 3-pointers and Dinwiddie added another as they built a 46-29 lead.

Crowder made back-to-back 3-pointers and Paul added five points as Phoenix closed within 54-48.

Doncic made seven free throws as Dallas rebuilt the lead to 68-56 at halftime. His last two free throws came after Paul committed his fourth foul with one second left.

–Field Level Media

Los Angeles Clippers forward Robert Covington and the team agreed to a contract extension.

The team did not announce the terms, but ESPN previously reported it as a two-year, $24 million deal.

According to the report, Covington was eligible under the collective bargaining agreement to re-sign with the Clippers for a maximum of two years prior to the start of free agency in July.

Covington earned $12.975 million last season when he split the campaign between the Portland Trail Blazers and Clippers. Los Angeles acquired Covington in February.

“When we acquired Cov in February, we thought he would be a great fit for our team, and the past few months confirmed our belief,” said Lawrence Frank, the team’s president of basketball operations, in a news release on Sunday. “He is an active, intelligent defender, and an excellent shooter who flourished in our system. We wanted to extend our relationship with Cov and are thrilled he wanted the same.”

Covington, 31, averaged 10.4 points and 5.1 rebounds in 23 games (two starts) for the Clippers. Overall, he averaged 8.5 points and 5.5 rebounds in 71 games (42 starts) and notched 128 3-pointers, 103 steals and 91 blocked shots.

He was the only player in the NBA this season to post at least 90 steals and 90 blocks.

In nine NBA seasons, Covington has career averages of 11.6 points and 5.8 rebounds in 537 games (460 starts). He also has played for the Houston Rockets, Philadelphia 76ers and Minnesota Timberwolves.

–Field Level Media