OAKLAND, Calif. -- Memphis Grizzlies guard Tony Allen sat out Game 5 against the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night because of a left hamstring injury.
Allen had been listed as questionable to play but the Grizzlies decided before the game to hold him out.
"He's the kind of guy who will do anything he can to be out there," coach Dave Joerger said. "At the same time, we want to be smart and say `If you're going to be close to 100 percent for Game 6 and be more effective.' He struggled the other night. It was a tough night for him physically maneuvering."
Allen missed the final nine games of the regular season with the hamstring injury. Joerger says Allen re-aggravated the injury in Game 3 and was limited to four points on 2-for-9 shooting in 16 minutes in a Game 4 loss that left the series tied at two games apiece.
"He's a warrior," Joerger said. "He's played through so much stuff. He's had knee surgeries. He's had injuries throughout the course of his career. He's a physical player obviously chasing guys through screens. He's banging and banging."
In Game 4, the Warriors often left Allen open on the perimeter so center Andrew Bogut could be a help-side defender and double-team Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph in the paint.
Allen had dominated the previous two games defensively to help Memphis take a 2-1 series lead. He helped hold Klay Thompson in check on the perimeter. When Allen sat out the final regular season game between the teams on April 13, Thompson scored 42 points and made 8 of 10 3-pointers.
Thompson shot just 6 for 17 from long range in the first three games with Allen serving as the primary defender. Jeff Green is expected to start in place of Allen, giving the Grizzlies a better offensive player at the expense of their defense.
"It definitely has an impact on Klay Thompson and who we have chasing him around," Joerger said. "One of the reasons we're sitting here at 2-2 is in large part for the work Tony has done on him and made things difficult. He hasn't had a huge, huge game."