The Memphis Grizzlies were handed a stunning defeat by the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night, with a final score of 133-112. The Warriors swept the season series 3-0 and have won their last five games against the Grizzlies.
Let’s get into it.
This was a Golden State team that was missing its star players — no Steph Curry, no Draymond Green, no Jimmy Butler. It is a little comical to mention the Warriors being shorthanded when the Grizzlies have been so greatly hindered by injuries the entire season.
I only mention this because the Warriors dished out a loss that felt reminiscent of their championship seasons, and they did it with mostly bench and reserve players.
This Grizzlies team knows quite a bit about fielding a squad comprised of second-string players, but as we saw last night, the Warriors’ second-string group massively outplayed the Memphis back-ups.
At the end of the first quarter, Memphis was only down by three points. It was the second quarter where things got out of hand, with the Warriors outscoring the Grizzlies 40-22.
Golden State had a commanding 74-53 lead to start the second half, and try as they might, Memphis could not dig themselves out of the hole.
The Warriors led by as many as 32 points, and they bested the Grizzlies in pretty much every statistical category. They had eight more field goal attempts, and while both teams committed 16 turnovers, Golden State converted them into 33 points, while Memphis converted only 14.
It was a similar story for rebounding where the Warriors led 48-34. They also led in assists 37-30, and steals, 12-7. They outscored the Grizzlies 58-44 in the paint and 29-17 in second-chance points.
This was a brutal loss, and in the absence of any positive notes about the Grizzlies’ performance, there were at least a couple of novelties: brother against brother with Pat Spencer and Cam Spencer, and the sons of two NBA legends in Gary Payton II and Scotty Pippen Jr.
By The Numbers:
GG Jackson led all scorers with a game-high 24 points, on 8 of 12 overall shooting and 3 of 6 from beyond the arc. He added eight rebounds, two assists, one steal, and two blocks. It marks Jackson’s fourth 20+ point game this season.
Ty Jerome scored 22 points on 8 of 14 overall shooting and 4 of 8 from beyond the arc, to go along with three rebounds, five assists, and one steal.
Javon Small added 16 points on 6 of 8 overall shooting and 3 of 5 from three-point range, plus six rebounds and four assists.
From off the bench, Taylor Hendricks had 14 points, six rebounds, four assists, two steals, and one block.
Who Got Next?
The Grizzlies are embarking on a three-game road trip, kicking off with a stop in Dallas on Friday night against the Mavericks. Tip-off is at 7:30 CST.