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.”

The Warriors are double-digit favorites at most sportsbooks. The line opened at Golden State -8.5 at BetMGM but shifted to 10.5 with the Warriors backed by 76 percent of the handle.

The action has also been one-sided at DraftKings, where Golden State has drawn 61 percent of the spread bets and 59 percent of the handle as a 10.0-point favorite.

Regardless of who is on the court Monday night, oddsmakers expect more offensive fireworks.

The 223.5-point Over/Under at DraftKings has seen 64 percent of the bets back the Over but a whopping 94 percent of the money wagered on the Under. The market opened at 226.5 at BetMGM before moving to 224.5 with the Under drawing 52 and 68 percent of the action, respectively.

–Field Level Media

Giannis Antetokounmpo will look to lead Milwaukee to a 3-1 series advantage when the Bucks host the Boston Celtics on Monday night in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

The Bucks have held steady as 1.5-points favorites ahead of Game 4 at BetMGM, where they have been backed by 55 percent of the spread bets but only 44 percent of the handle. The 1.0-point line at DraftKings has seen similar action, with Milwaukee drawing 66 percent of the bets while Boston has been backed by 53 percent of the handle.

The two-time MVP led Milwaukee to a 103-101 win in Game 3 on Saturday, pouring in 42 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists. It was the sixth time he has scored at least 40 points in a playoff game.

“I just try to do whatever is in front of me. Play to my strengths as much as possible, and I know what my strengths are,” Antetokounmpo said. “As long as I play within my strengths, I’m going to be in a good place and I just try to take it a possession at a time.”

Jrue Holiday contributed 25 points and seven rebounds, and Brook Lopez went for 13 points and 10 rebounds.

Although Khris Middleton is still out with an MCL sprain, George Hill has returned to the Bucks’ rotation after dealing with an abdomen injury. Hill was quiet in his postseason debut in Game 3, as he was held scoreless in 11 minutes off the bench.

With Hill back in action, Milwaukee is hoping for more production from a bench that has averaged 22.0 points per game in this series.

Monday’s game on the defending NBA champions’ home floor is now essentially a must-win for the Celtics, who will host Game 5 on Wednesday night.

While no loss is easy to swallow, especially in the playoffs, Boston mounted a late-game surge that could give it some momentum heading into Game 4.

After trailing by 13 with 9:48 left to play in the fourth quarter, the Celtics stormed all the way back and eventually went ahead 100-99 after a pair of free throws from Jaylen Brown.

Following buckets from Antetokounmpo and Holiday that put the Bucks up by three, Boston’s Marcus Smart sank the first of two free throws before intentionally missing the second. Robert Williams and Al Horford each missed putback layups.

“Didn’t even have to come down to that last play honestly. We were sloppy in the third and execution-wise at times,” Celtics coach Ime Udoka said. “Battled back well in the fourth, but can play a whole lot better.”

The Celtics were outscored 34-17 in the third quarter.

Brown paced Boston with 27 points and 12 rebounds on 8-of-16 shooting. Al Horford supplied 22 points and 16 rebounds, and Derrick White posted 14 points off the bench.

Jayson Tatum struggled heavily on the afternoon and was held to just 10 points on a lackluster 4-of-19 shooting which included an 0-for-6 effort from 3-point range.

Smart is back with the Celtics after missing Game 2 with a thigh contusion, but Sam Hauser will be out on Monday with a right shoulder issue.

With Saturday’s loss, Boston is still searching for its first win in Milwaukee this season after it dropped both regular-season contests on the Bucks’ home floor.

The Over/Under at BetMGM opened at a low total of 209.5 points but has moved to 211.5 with the Over garnering 86 percent of the handle. The market is at 212.5 points at DraftKings, where the split action has seen the Under backed by 58 percent of the bets while the Over has drawn 58 percent of the handle.

–Field Level Media

The Sacramento Kings named Mike Brown their new head coach on Monday.

Terms of the deal were not released but ESPN reported it would be a four-year contract for the Golden State Warriors assistant coach. The post will be Brown’s third as a head coach.

“Mike has consistently demonstrated his ability to lead winning teams throughout his long and successful coaching career,” Kings general manager Monte McNair said in a statement. “He has worked with some of the best players in the NBA and is one of the league’s premier defensive minds. I am excited to bring his extensive experience to Sacramento.”

Brown, former head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers, owns a 347-216 record as a head coach, including two 60-win seasons with Cleveland when LeBron James was in his mid-20s.

The 52-year-old has worked on Golden State’s staff since 2016 and was part of two Warriors title teams (2017 and 2018). The Warriors are still active in the 2022 playoffs, in the midst of a Western Conference semifinal series with the Memphis Grizzlies that will continue Monday.

Brown also helped Gregg Popovich’s staff to an NBA title with the 2003 San Antonio Spurs and was named NBA Coach of the Year with Cleveland in 2009.

In addition to his NBA duties, Brown is in charge of the Nigerian men’s national basketball team and coached them in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

The Kings have missed the playoffs for 16 consecutive seasons, the longest drought in NBA history.

Sacramento fired third-year head coach Luke Walton early in the season after the Kings started 6-11. Interim head coach Alvin Gentry was not retained after the Kings finished 24-41.

–Field Level Media