What we learned as the Grizzlies beat the Warriors spoils Schröder’s debut originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

BOX score

The Warriors rolled into Memphis on Thursday looking for an opportunity to restart their season and were publicly trashed.

Their 144-93 loss to the Grizzlies at FedExForum was a total assault on the eyes and, in professional basketball terms, perfect for everyone to put a towel over their entire head in disbelief.

The energy that the Warriors had hoped for in Dennis Schröder’s debut never materialized. They trailed by 22 after one quarter and didn’t get closer than 31 in the second half.

Andrew Wiggins’ 19 points (in 21 minutes) and Brandin Podziemski’s team-high 21 were completely and appropriately obscured by such startling facts as Stephen Curry missing all seven of his field goal attempts and Draymond Green committing four turnovers in 19 minutes and committed four fouls and coach Steve Kerr doesn’t throw a clipboard onto the court.

The loss brings Golden State, which has lost nine of its last 11 games, to 14-12, while Memphis improved to 19-9.

Here are three observations from the night the Warriors couldn’t slow down the confident Grizzlies or find the bottom of the net with a telescope:

Schroder’s nightmarish debut

Schröder’s debut went as badly as possible. The best that can be said is that he suffered no apparent injury during his 22 minutes.

The Warriors’ newest member was in the starting lineup and opened at point guard, giving Curry a chance to field the ball and made his first shot, a mid-range jumper that set up Golden State’s first basket.

Schröder missed his next nine shots — before making that mistake midway through the third quarter — and committed three turnovers in that span. He finished the night with five points, five assists and four turnovers for a minus-34.

It is unfair to expect Schröder to immediately cause a sensation after five turbulent days. He moved from coast to coast, to a struggling Warriors team that plays a different style than the Brooklyn Nets, who led the first eight weeks of the season.

But that was a dream that turned into a horror. A debut he would prefer to forget – if he hadn’t done so right after the final buzzer.

The early defensive tone will have to wait

For all the talk about wanting to make an early statement on defense – which was hinted at with Green’s return to the starting lineup – the Warriors had one of their worst first quarters of the season.

Things didn’t get any better in the last three quarters.

In less than four minutes, Golden State trailed by 11 (13-2). When Memphis closed the quarter with an 11-2 run (in less than two minutes), the Warriors went to the bench trailing 37-15.

The defense was poor, and Golden State’s sloppy offense made it worse, committing eight turnovers that gave the Grizzlies 12 points as they shot 53.8 percent from the field, including 46.7 percent from deep, while they had a 22-point lead in the second quarter.

The Warriors’ 15 points came on 4 of 23 (17.4 percent) shooting from the field, including 2 of 10 (20 percent) from long range. Aside from Wiggins’ nine points in eight minutes, Golden State’s offense was little more than a concept in the first half.

Combined with the imaginary defense in the second half, the Warriors ended up scoring 91 points and shooting 35.6 percent from the field, including 33.3 from deep.

Curry is once again below his standard

It could be nothing of great importance. Or it could be something sinister.

Curry shot 0 of 7 from the field, including 0 of 6 from beyond the arc, and finished the second quarter with two points, both on free throws.

While his 3-ball shooting has been solid of late – 40 percent compared to his previous 18 games – the rest of his shooting is completely uncharacteristic of his level.

Curry’s 0-of-7 appearances follows nine straight games in which he shot less than 50 percent from the field. This is because the 36-year-old is dealing with pain in both knees and probably some other physical ailments as well.

Kerr, wanting to make life easier for Curry, intentionally opened the game by passing the ball away. It made no difference.

Curry was never one to use injuries as an excuse; he hates to acknowledge her. But this is at least a troubling stretch of basketball that represents the team’s touchstone. His last game with more than 30 points was on November 12th, more than five weeks ago. He has scored fewer than 25 points in six of his last nine games.

The next few games should tell us whether this is a temporary problem or something more worrying.

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