Al Horford was definitely an improvement over Draymond Green and De’Anthony Melton.
After changing their lineup, the Warriors turned things around dramatically, beating the Grizzlies 133-112 in a back-to-back situation. “It was a great night for everyone on the court. We were missing a lot of players,” said Warriors coach Steve Kerr.
Green (back) was listed as questionable and was ruled out right before the game due to the same issue that sidelined him in Sunday’s win over the Nuggets. Melton (knee) hasn’t been cleared for back-to-back games yet.
Horford, at 39, stepped back in and revitalized an undermanned Warriors squad that only had nine players available, one of whom was two-way player Malevee Lyons. Despite that, they easily handled a Grizzlies team that had recently made significant roster changes at the NBA trade deadline.
Eight Warriors, excluding Lyons, scored in double figures, with rookie Will Richard leading the pack with 21 points. Brandin Podzemski, celebrating his 23rd birthday, started and continued his impressive play, tallying 19 points, eight rebounds, and six assists.
Pat Spencer had a team-high nine assists off the bench while playing against his brother, finishing with a plus-23 rating. Conversely, his brother Cam Spencer tallied the worst rating at minus-29 for the Grizzlies.
All nine Warriors nailed at least one three-pointer as Golden State rebounded from a rough shooting night earlier, hitting 49 of 91 shots (53.8%) from the field and 19 of 46 (41.3%) from beyond the arc. The team’s shooting numbers were nearly at 50-40-90, but Lyons narrowly missed two free throws late in the fourth, which kept him from being the final Warrior to reach double digits.
what it means
Following a 113-109 defeat to the Pelicans, the Warriors managed to avoid the embarrassment of being swept by a team they nearly lost to in consecutive games.
turning point
Richard, despite not scoring in Tuesday’s loss, found early success, netting eight of his 21 points in the first quarter and helping the Warriors take a lead of 34-31.
They extended that lead to 74-53 by halftime, fueled by a 27-8 run that dominated much of the second quarter, prompting Grizzlies coach Tuomas Isalo to call a timeout with 4:46 remaining.
In a rare occurrence, the Warriors utilized their size advantage to score 18 points in the paint during the first quarter, which assisted in establishing their lead in the second quarter as they made 8 of 16 perimeter shots.
Horford was key, hitting a simple shot over a mismatched Javon Small early on, then adding excitement with a dynamic play in the second quarter—hitting a three-pointer from the key before scoring again on the other end.
MVP: Al Horford
The Warriors have not won three games without Horford since January 3rd. However, they are now 12-8 with him in the lineup following the win against Memphis. Golden State sits at 6-5 this season without Green. “Al was fantastic,” Kerr remarked. “We went to him early to set the tone, and he created so many opportunities for us.”
Game Stats: 33-14 points without turnovers
The Warriors played a much cleaner game than in the previous outing, reducing their turnovers from 21 to 16 (most occurring in garbage time). The Grizzlies also had 16 turnovers.
Golden State excelled in converting turnovers into points.
to the next
The Warriors are heading home to face the Lakers on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. They’re hoping to be closer to full strength by then, needing both Melton and Green back. Kerr also expressed optimism regarding Kristaps Porzingis’s return.
Golden State (31-28) currently trails the Lakers (34-23) by four games for the sixth spot in the Western Conference, which is significant as it helps avoid the play-in tournament. The two teams have split their earlier matchups this season, with another meeting set for April 9th.
