SAN FRANCISCO – Warriors-Grizzlies: a game once synonymous with animus and mutual disdain. Defined by playoff series, sound bites and hard fouls on national TV.
But the visitors from Memphis were a husk of that outfit, a cavalcade of new faces and Golden State castoffs being observed by the ghost of Ja Morant garbed in street clothes. But honestly, the Warriors also bore little resemblance to the dynasty of that era. A far older and much slower Draymond Green remained the only remnant of those days suiting up on Monday,
Steph Curry sat next to his brother Seth, both adorned in a normal outfit as they watched a thrilling 114-113 Warriors win at Chase Center.
In a battle of unheralded rosters, the Warriors trailed by just one point with 90 seconds remaining.
Golden State and Memphis traded empty possessions for the next minute, with the Grizzlies forcing two separate jump balls. Gui Santos gave the Warriors the lead with a putback layup with under 15 seconds remaining, and then Brandin Podziemski got the block to secure the win.
Al Horford had a throwback game with 16 points and six assists, while Podziemski scored 16. Santos scored in double figures for the seventh straight game, putting in 16.
As has been the case many a time during the season, giveaways hampered Golden State for much of the night. The Warriors had 23 turnovers, with Draymond Green accounting for seven of them.
With Zach Edey and Santi Aldama among those inactive, faces familiar to the Bay Area led the Grizzlies. Warriors castaway Ty Jerome put up19 points in just 20 minutes, while Jahmai Mashack, who was drafted by Golden State this June before his draft rights were shipped to Memphis, scored 17 on 8 of 10 shooting off the bench.
Pat Spencer got his first home start since signing a standard contract and put up 17 points and seven assists. Across the court, younger brother Cam Spencer scored two but also had four assists.
During the team’s first home game in a week, the lower bowl was dotted with unoccupied seats deep into the first quarter. Most of the vacancies were eventually filled – the sellout streak extended to 593 – but their energy remained half-full until finally finding a voice in the final period.
The Warriors were tied at 32 with Memphis early, but the Grizzlies led 65-57 at halftime. Poor 3-point shooting was partially to blame, with the Warriors shooting just 6 for 21 from behind the arc over the initial 24 minutes.
Memphis’ offense continued to hum after halftime, taking a 98-85 lead into the fourth quarter. But the Warriors continued to push the Grizzlies, and was able to come up with a clutch victory.
The Warriors will play host to San Antonio in their last game before the All-Star break.
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