Warriors Suffer Heartbreaking Loss to Grizzlies
SAN FRANCISCO — In a tense moment during the game, Brandin Podziemski made a contested layup, prompting Grizzlies coach Tuomas Iisalo to call a timeout as Podziemski celebrated with the fans while returning to the bench.
His shot helped put Golden State ahead by 11 with just over five minutes remaining, and De’Anthony Melton followed up by hitting a three-pointer 96 seconds later, increasing their advantage to 12 points with under four minutes on the clock.
Then, as Steph Curry noted, “pretty much everything went wrong.”
As the Warriors processed their disappointing fourth-quarter collapse on the bus to the airport post-game, they faced the reality that they had missed their last nine shots and allowed the Grizzlies to go on a staggering 17-0 run, resulting in a painful 111-108 defeat in their first game at Chase Center this season.
“There are losses,” Curry reflected, “and then there are ways that you lose, like tonight, that sting a little bit more.”
In less than a day, the Warriors need to regroup for another game in Phoenix, still searching for their first win of the season.
Curry mentioned he will “probably not” play against the Suns in the second half of their first back-to-back, as the team works to manage his playing time.
Podziemski, who had missed the season opener due to a back issue and briefly exited the game after a rough fall, also confirmed he would sit out the second game of the back-to-back.
Without their two leading scorers, the Warriors face a tough challenge against the Suns, risking a start reminiscent of their 2007-08 season when they lost their first six games. Curry led the scoring with 24 points, but it was Podziemski who led in attempts with 17, tying Yaxel Lendeborg at 18 points.
Curry added, “It’s a tough pill to swallow, especially considering we played really solid, particularly in the second half, to take control and maintain a lead for so long.”
In the first half, the Warriors struggled to gain momentum, falling behind by as much as 13 points, unable to keep up with Grizzlies rookie Cameron Boozer, who had a standout performance against Lendeborg, both former college rivals and first-round draft picks.
Boozer’s last two points came from a spinning shot over Podziemski with 20 seconds left, giving Memphis their first lead since late in the third quarter at 108-106. On the following play for the Warriors, Draymond Green was called for an illegal screen—his third of the game—allowing Ty Jerome, who finished with 28 points, a free drive for a layup that capped off the Warriors’ downfall.
Coach Kerr received a technical foul for disputing Green’s call, which lost them possession on their final chance to score. Kerr described the call as “shocking” from the officials.
“We probably had six illegal screens tonight, which were really rough due to the flopping happening on every single one. It looked like players were going down like they were hit by a car or something,” he said. “These illegal screens really hurt us.”
A few possessions earlier, Podziemski collided with Melton while chasing a loose ball that Podziemski had knocked free, but Memphis eventually gained control.
Kerr noted that there were about “eight different things” that contributed to their loss.
“I think if any one of those eight doesn’t happen, we win the game. It was just an avalanche,” he remarked.
After losing 127-105 to the Lakers on opening night, the Warriors are now 0-2 for the first time since the 2020-21 season, losing two games where Curry was present.
“People say there’s another game tomorrow,” Curry said. “But the reality of how important every game is for us … and losing one like this, well, you might lose a bit of sleep over it.”
On a different note, Kerr maintained a more composed outlook.
“There are 80 more games. We’ve dropped a couple. We’ll bounce back. It’s not about whether this stings more than any other game; you just have to move on,” he stated.
