The Warriors got a full team effort as they made quick work of the visitors from Memphis
The Golden State Warriors demolished the Memphis Grizzlies in Oracle Arena, 110-93. The champs came out and knocked out their opponents in the first half with a vicious opening volley, and the Grizz never recovered.
Kevin Durant led all scorers with 23 points. Stephen Curry scored 20 points on a night he struggled from the field, going 6-for-16 shooting, but tied Durant with 7 rebounds to lead the team. Klay Thompson added 16 points of his own and delivered a stellar defensive effort.
Former Warrior Omri Casspi came off of the bench for Memphis and led the Grizzlies in scoring with 20 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the field.
First Half
The Dubs decided to go out there and lay smackdown with an equal opportunity offense early. Durant, Curry, and Thompson all had ten points a piece after two quarters. There were six Warriors with at least six points. It was fueled by their swarming defense (six steals) and a parade to the free throw line (going 17-of-18 from the charity stripe).
Curry also made some more history, knocking down his 15,000th career point!
The Grizzlies were thoroughly shackled early, held to 14-of-39 shooting from the field (35.9%). They could barely buy a three-pointer as well, attempting 11 from distance and only converting two at the half. They also couldn’t force the Dubs into many mistakes, as the Warriors only coughed up two turnovers. That’s a far cry from what the “Grit-N-Grind” Grizz used to do to Golden State.
Warriors 61, Grizzlies 38
Second Half
With the game in hand early, the Warriors role players got a chance to show their stuff.
Jonas Jerebko came out lighting up the the scoreboard as well. He finished with 16 points and knocked down 4 treys in 26 minutes. He also led all reserves with a +16 plus/minus. He’s extremely comfortable in the Dubs’ offense, finding the right spots on offense and rotating well on defense.
The Warriors held the Grizz to 45% shooting, 28% from beyond the arc. The champs only shot 43% from the field themselves, but nailed 12 threes to the Grizzlies 7, and knocked down 24 free throws while the Grizzlies made 14.
Moving On
The Warriors get a day off before playing in Utah on Wednesday. This was a hearty victory that bolsters the bench’s confidence and shows the champs can still turn on the defense when they need to.