Green and Thompson help Dubs exorcise demons vs. Grizzlies
The Golden State Warriors defeated the Memphis Grizzlies, led by Draymond Green’s non-scoring triple-double.
Draymond Green pick pocketed Grizzlies center Marc Gasol near half-court and took it the other way for a ferocious one handed dunk. He let out a growling scream afterward. It was Green’s seventh steal of the first half and it sparked a huge momentum swing for the Warriors the rest of the game.
Green’s playoff energy effort and Klay Thompson‘s pretty shooting stroke paved the way for the Warriors’ 122-107 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies, their first victory over the Grizzlies this season after letting a 24-point lead slip away in Oakland.
Thompson was red-hot for 36 points on 13-of-23 shooting from the field including 8-of-15 from beyond the arc. It seemed like every time he got the ball, it was up and gone before the defender could react.
Green finished with the first non-scoring triple double in Warriors history and the first triple double in NBA history scoring fewer than 10 points with four points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists and 10 steals. He was a relentless force on the defense, possessing a “refuse-to-lose” attitude in this game after losing to Memphis twice this season. He got deflections, steals, blocks, drew charges and all of the other little things that make Green an all star.
Kevin Durant had 24 points on only 5-of-14 shooting, five rebounds, four assists and a couple of blocks in the game before his return to Oklahoma City tomorrow night.
Stephen Curry finished with 18 points on 6-of-13 shooting from the field with a couple of threes, five assists and four rebounds.
Andre Iguodala had a huge impact off the bench, scoring 22 points on 6-of-7 shooting and being aggressive on offense knowing when he needed to push it to another gear offensively. Iguodala also had a couple blocks and four assists as well. He was more aggressive than he has been throughout the season.
The Warriors had built a 26 point lead in the fourth quarter, but the Grizzlies continued to do what they do best, which is grind their way back in the game. With some of the Warriors’ starters out of the game, Gasol and power forward Zach Randolph started to get layups prompting a familiar feeling from the last game when the Warriors blew a 24-point lead in the fourth quarter.
Luckily, the Warriors were able to win comfortably by 15 this time.
Gasol had 17 points and five rebounds, but struggled to shoot from the field only shooting 4-of-14, but Randolph came off the bench and had 17 points as well with 13 boards.
Mike Conley, the point guard for the Grizzlies finished with 20 points.
The Warriors exorcised their demons tonight in Memphis, but await another difficult challenge in a raucous Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City tomorrow.
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