On Thursday night at FedExForum, the Memphis Grizzlies beat the Golden State Warriors in a wire-to-wire victory by a score of 131-110.
Memphis improved to 39-26 overall and 27-5 at home, while the Warriors dropped to 34-33 and 7-26 away from San Francisco.
For the game, the Grizzlies had a 53.8% field goal percentage and a 45% three-point clip (18-of-40).
Memphis won the points in the paint battle 56-36, outrebounded Golden State 42-32, and dished out 36 assists.
Tidbits
Ja Morant and Steven Adams
The Grizzlies announced Monday that Morant would be away for at least four more games after being away from the team following an incident in Colorado.
Morant missed his third straight game on Thursday against the Warriors. Prior to the game, Coach Taylor Jenkins told reporters about Morant’s absence, “I can’t share details. There’s definitely steps that are going to have to be met personally and professionally as he deals with some stuff personally to get better. Then obviously the expectations on the team, he’s going to have some things that he’s going to have to clear to know what the expectations are when he does return. Again, he’s out at least the next four games. I know everyone wants to know, ‘What’s this going to be?’ It’s the hot topic for sure, but he’s taking time. His responsibility to get better personally, that’s a big factor in this, and also, his responsibility to the team is something we’re addressing with him. He’s fully on board and has been communicative with our group.”
Per a medical update released yesterday, Steven Adams underwent a stem cell injection as part of his ongoing recovery process for a PCL sprain in his right knee. Adams’ condition will be reevaluated in four weeks.
The news about this setback in Adams’ recovery, combined with Brandon Clarke being done for the season after an Achilles tear, leaves Memphis at a disadvantage in the center position.
In the three meetings so far this season between these two teams, the home team has taken the victory. The Grizzlies are due to face off against the Warriors again March 18th at FedExForum for their final meeting of the regular season, so here is hoping that pattern continues.
Any meeting between these two teams tends to be chippy, and this one was no exception. There was also the underlying expectation of a clash between Draymond Green and Dillon Brooks. Spoiler alert: Brooks handily won this round, and despite what Green may say about being unbothered, his postgame remarks told a different story.
The Grizzlies opened the game and immediately asserted dominance, racking up 48 points in the first quarter, which is the highest-scoring opening frame in franchise history. Heading into the second quarter, the Grizzlies carried a 20-point lead, and despite Steph Curry being very Steph Curry, the Warriors went into the second half still down by 18. They outscored Memphis 34-22 in the third period but were not able to continue that in the fourth quarter.
As of late, the fourth quarter has been like kryptonite to the Grizzlies, but thankfully that would not be the case here. The Warriors managed to cut the Grizzlies lead to 6, and Memphis responded by putting their collective feet on the Warriors’ necks and not letting up. Memphis outscored Golden State 32-17 in that final frame and that was the ballgame. The Warriors shooting 10% from three-point range in the fourth, and the Grizzlies shooting 62.5% from long range, was the nail in the coffin.
By The Numbers:
Tyus Jones had a team-high 22 points, 4 rebounds, 11 assists, and 3 steals.
Jaren Jackson, Jr. finished the night with 21 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block.
Desmond Bane also put up 21 points, along with 2 rebounds and 4 assists.
Dillon Brooks closed out with 14 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists, and 1 steal.
Santi Aldama lit it up from the bench with 15 points and 7 rebounds on 3 of 5 shooting from beyond the arc.
Who Got Next?
The Grizzlies will finish out this two-game homestand on March 11th, facing off against the Dallas Mavericks. Tip-off is at 7 PM CST.
