Warriors deliver abysmal performance in 131-110 loss to Grizzlies
Yeah, it was bad.
The Golden State Warriors road woes continued on Thursday night in a 131-110 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. Facing a Grizzlies team missing several key contributors, including Ja Morant and Brandon Clarke, the Warriors looked out of sync all night on both ends of the floor.
The Dubs defense was abysmal from the start. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr decided to go small against the Grizzlies, starting Steph Curry, Jordan Poole, Donte DiVincenzo, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green. But the Grizzlies came out firing, taking a 21-8 lead in the first four minutes of regulation.
Kerr quickly inserted Kevon Looney to try and stabilize the Dubs defense, but by that point Memphis was rolling. By the end of the first quarter, the Grizzlies led 48-28.
Hot shooting stretches from the Warriors in the second and third quarters briefly brought them back within striking distance, but it was never a one-posession game. Kerr was visibly upset on the sideline throughout the game with a combination of egregious mental mistakes on defense and questionable effort.
The Warriors were able to keep up with Memphis when Steph Curry and Draymond Green were on the floor, but the rest of the Warriors starters were unable to hold their own with them on the bench. Curry finished with 29 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and a +2 plus/minus. Green recorded 16 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 steals, but committed 5 turnovers.
Thompson was just 6-for-14 from the field with 14 points while Poole was a game-worst -33 plus/minus in spite of scoring 22 points on 10 shots from the field.
Jaren Jackson led the way for Memphis with 21 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 assists on 6-for-13 shooting from the field. Tyus Jones had 22 points and 11 assists. Desmond Bane added 21 points of his own.
The Warriors will return home tonight before a highly-anticipated matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks at the Chase Center on Saturday at 5:30 PM Pacific.