Grizzlies slow-cook Warriors in 144-93 blowout

12/19/2024 10:27 PM

Steph Curry didn't make a single field goal, the Warriors trailed by 50 points midway through the third quarter, and the tricks, they were whoomped.

Memphis, Tennessee is one of the world's great cities for barbecue. They slow-roast meat, with a preference for pork, using giant pits. And what do you need to build those pits? Lots and lots of bricks.

That's what the Golden State Warriors provided in their 144-93 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies Thursday night. A big ol' pile of bricks. 58 of them spefically, a number that would have been worse had both teams not cleared their benches with a quarter and a half to go.

Let's go through the wreckage, shall we?

It was the first game of Steph Curry's career where he played more than 10 minutes and didn't make a single field goal. Draymond Green was scoreless and had zero assists. He did have four personal fouls and four turnovers, plus a delay of game call. ESPN's Tim Bontemps claimed Green's -42 plus/minus was historically bad, the worst-ever mark for anyone who played less than 20 minutes.

It was the second game in a row where Golden State gave up 21 or more three-pointers. 11 different Grizzlies made threes. Jonathan Kuminga was 7-for-10 from the free throw line and an imperfect 1-for-9 from the floor.

In the first quarter, the Warriors had four field goals in 12 minutes, while turning the ball over eight times. They began the game with Kevon Looney fouling Zach Edey on the jump ball, then followed up with Green turning the ball over on the team's first three possessions. It was clear what kind of game this would be when Curry got the lumbering Edey on a switch, normally a situation where Curry cooks his defender. Edey blocked his shot.

They got a gift call midway through the quarter, when Andrew Wiggins sank a three while being fouled, and the officials awarded a flagrant foul after reviewing the video.

Then after completing the four-point play, Wiggins turned the ball over.

Later in the quarter, Dennis Schroder managed to win a jump ball after Scotty Pippen, Jr. tied him up. Then the Warriors sandwiched two missed threes around a Trayce Jakson-Davis offensive rebound. When Santa Aldama beat the buzzer with a corner three, the Warriors trailed 37-15.

Things didn't change much in the second quarter. Draymond Green, having committed his second foul with 42 seconds left in the first quarter, committed his third 21 seconds into the second, and sat down. His replacement, Kyle Anderson, immediately fouled Jaren Jackson, Jr. Then Jake LaRavia hit back-to-back threes to run the Grizzlies' lead to 28 points.

The Warriors shot slightly better, downing five three-pointers, but Curry didn't make a single field goal, scoring only on a pair of free throws. Schroder was 1-for-9. Desperate to find someone who could score, Steve Kerr used 12 different players in the first 12:21 of the game.

Their only reliable offense came from Andrew Wiggins, who made four of his five attempts from behind the arc and scored 19 points on 11 shots. He also had one rebound and zero assists and the Warriors had the audacity to solicit All-Star votes when they tweeted a Wiggins highlight.

How dare you, social media intern!

Steve Kerr waved the white flag with 5:06 to go in the third quarter. That's pretty early, but then again, the Warriors were trailing 96-50 at the time. Through three quarters, Wiggins was the lone Warrior in double figures, and the team was shooting 24.4 percent.

The 4th quarter looked like an early-round NCAA Tournament game. The Grizzlies ran out a three-guard lineup with John Konchar, Luke Kennard, and Cam "Pat's my brother" Spencer, with Jake LaRavia at power forward that looked like they could have been a Horizon League team, shredding a Gui Santos-led Warriors third unit squad. Memphis almost matched the single-game NBA record for three-pointers, falling one short with 27, but didn't push for trhe record late.

It was the worst loss of the season. Memphis pushed Golden State around, kept them out of the paint, shot 54% from the floor, and outrebounded the Warriors, 60-36. There's not much to say except, burn the video tape! And get some delicious pork ribs for the sad Memphis night.