Grizzlies beat Warriors in Memphis

Grizzlies beat Warriors in Memphis

Memphis, Tennessee is one of the greatest barbecue cities in the world. They slowly fry meat, with a preference for pork, in huge kernels. And what do you need to build these pits? Lots and lots of bricks.

The Golden State Warriors made sure of that in their 144-93 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday night. A big old stack of bricks. Specifically, there were 58, a number that would have been even worse if both teams had not cleared their benches with a quarter and a half to go.

Let’s walk through the rubble, shall we?

It was the first game of Steph Curry’s career in which he played more than 10 minutes and did not make a single field goal. Draymond Green was scoreless and had zero assists. He had four personal fouls and four turnovers, as well as a delay in the play call. ESPN’s Tim Bontemps claimed Green’s -42 plus/minus was historically bad, the worst mark ever for anyone who played less than 20 minutes.

It was the second straight game in which Golden State drained 21 or more three-pointers. 11 different Grizzlies made threes. Jonathan Kuminga was 7 of 10 from the free throw line and an imperfect 1 of 9 from the floor.

In the first quarter, the Warriors made four field goals in 12 minutes and turned the ball over eight times. They started the game with Kevon Looney fouling Zach Edey on the jump ball, then had Green turn the ball over on the team’s first three possessions. It was clear what kind of game this was going to be when Curry got the lumbering Edey on a switch, usually a situation in which Curry cooks his defender. Edey blocked his shot.

They got a gift call midway through the quarter when Andrew Wiggins sank a three-pointer on a foul and the referees called a flagrant foul after reviewing the video.

Then, after completing the four-point play, Wiggins turned the ball over.

Later in the quarter, Dennis Schroder managed to win a jump ball after Scotty Pippen Jr. tied him up. Then the Warriors made two missed threes around an offensive rebound from Trayce Jakson-Davis. When Santa Aldama beat the buzzer with a corner three, the Warriors trailed 37-15.

Not much changed in the second quarter. Draymond Green, who had committed his second foul with 42 seconds left in the first quarter, committed his third 21 seconds into the second quarter and sat out. His replacement, Kyle Anderson, immediately fouled Jaren Jackson Jr. Then Jake LaRavia hit back-to-back three-pointers to extend the Grizzlies’ lead to 28 points.

The Warriors shot slightly better, draining five three-pointers, but Curry didn’t make a single field goal and only scored on two free throws. Schröder was 1 of 9. Desperate for someone to score, Steve Kerr used twelve different players in the first 12:21 minutes of the game.

Their only reliable attack came from Andrew Wiggins, who made four of his five attempts from behind the arc and scored 19 points on 11 shots. He also had one rebound and zero assists and the Warriors had the audacity to ask for All-Star votes when they tweeted a Wiggins highlight.

How dare you, social media intern!

Steve Kerr waved the white flag with 5:06 left in the third quarter. It’s still pretty early, but then again, the Warriors were down 96-50 at this point. Through three quarters, Wiggins was the only Warrior in double figures and the team shot 24.4 percent.

The 4th quarter looked like a first round NCAA Tournament game. The Grizzlies fielded a three-guard lineup with John Konchar, Luke Kennard and Cam “Pat’s my Brother” Spencer, with Jake LaRavia at power forward, that looked like they could have been a Horizon League team that had the of Gui Santos-led Warriors shattered the third unit squad. Memphis nearly matched the NBA single-game record for three-pointers, falling short by one at 27, but didn’t push for the record late.

It was the worst defeat of the season. Memphis pushed Golden State around, kept them off the field, shot 54% from the floor and outrebounded the Warriors 60-36. There’s not much to say except: burn the videotape! And grab some delicious pork ribs for that sad night in Memphis.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *