National Basketball Association
Golden State 119, Memphis 69
When: 10:30 PM ET, Monday, November 2, 2015
Where: Oracle Arena, Oakland, California
Officials:
#74 Curtis Blair, #33 Sean Corbin, #49 Tom Washington
Attendance:
19596
By The Sports Xchange
OAKLAND, Calif. -- The Golden State Warriors aren't talking much about defending their championship this season.
Rather, they are focused on trying to be better than last year.
That quest is off to a rousing success.
The Warriors recorded their fourth consecutive double-digit victory to start the season, a first in franchise history, blitzing the Memphis Grizzlies in the second and third quarters Monday night en route to a 119-69 win.
Point guard Stephen Curry poured in 21 of his game-high 30 points during a 40-15 third-period flurry that ensured the Warriors' franchise-record 20th consecutive regular-season home victory dating back to January.
"We know what it takes," said Warriors power forward Draymond Green, a key force on both ends of the floor in dealing Memphis its worst loss in franchise history.
"I don't think anyone's intimidated by us. Nor should they be. We just raised our level. We can't wait until March or April."
The Warriors dominated play at both ends of the court, shooting 51.2 percent from the field while limiting the Grizzlies to 27.1 percent in a rematch of last year's Western Conference playoff semifinals, which Golden State won 4-2.
"Effort and focus," Curry cited as the keys to victory. "We made multiple efforts (defensively) on each possession, forcing them into tough shots.
"When you make a team like this take tough shots and limit them to one shot, we can push the transition and get it to our pace. That's the formula to beat these guys. And we were able to execute it."
The Warriors (4-0) trailed 22-21 after one period before crushing the Grizzlies (2-2) with 32-12 and 40-15 quarters, opening as much as a 46-point lead before the third period ended.
"Just a bad game overall," said Grizzlies power forward Zach Randolph, who missed seven of his nine shots and was limited to four points. "(Golden State) is a championship team, but they're not 40, 50 points better than us. We know that."
In recording their first win by 50 or more points since 1991, the Warriors led just 27-26 in the fourth minute of the second period before completely taking charge of the game.
First, Green contributed five points, including a 3-pointer, to a 13-1 run that opened a 13-point advantage. The Grizzlies missed 12 consecutive shots during a drought that lasted a little more than six minutes.
Then, after shooting guard Courtney Lee finally connected for Memphis at the 2:43 mark of the period, the Warriors rebounded with an 11-3 flurry to end the half, exploding the advantage to 53-34.
Golden State shooting guard Klay Thompson bombed in a pair of 3-pointers in the run.
Then Curry took over.
The reigning Western Conference Player of the Week hit three consecutive 3-pointers and seven of eight shots in all in the third period, helping the Warriors take a 93-49 advantage into the fourth.
"We want to take it to the next level on offense and defense," Green said. "In order to do that, we have to take it to the next level with our intensity. We're trying to get to that next level."
Curry finished with three steals, two assists and a blocked shot in the third quarter in a performance similar to his 28-point, third-quarter display during a 53-point night Saturday in New Orleans.
"I think Steph always has it going," Warriors interim coach Luke Walton said. "He's our point guard, and he's trying to lead the team. I believe if he wanted to score massive amounts of points, he could do it every single night."
Curry, who sat out the fourth period, shot 10-for-16 overall and 4-for-8 on threes. His 30 points came in 28 minutes.
The Warriors connected on 11 of their 25 3-point attempts. They outrebounded the Grizzlies 65-44, recording a franchise-record 55 boards on the defensive end.
Thompson finished with 14 points, and center Festus Ezeli recorded an 11-point, 10-rebound double-double. Green was on triple-double pace with 11 points, nine rebounds and eight assists before getting the fourth quarter off.
Warriors backup guard Ian Clark scored all 15 of his points in the fourth quarter as Golden State opened as much as a 52-point lead.
Center Marc Gasol had 13 points and nine rebounds -- both team highs -- for the Grizzlies, who opened an eight-day, five-game Western swing.
"I hate losing, and losing like this is even worse," Gasol said. "It hurts. It should hurt your feelings. It hurt mine definitely. But we've got to believe in what we're doing, and hopefully we'll figure it out."
Memphis plays at Sacramento on Tuesday night.
Despite missing six of his eight shots, point guard Mike Conley added 10 points for the Grizzlies, who had won two in a row since losing their opener to Cleveland.
The Grizzlies missed 20 of their 23 3-point attempts.
NOTES: The Warriors' 100-point total margin of victory in their first four games is an all-time NBA record, surpassing the 99-point margin put up by the 1961-62 Boston Celtics. ... The Warriors have won just three games by 50 or more points in franchise history. ... Golden State's last win by 50 or more points occurred exactly 24 years earlier -- Nov. 2, 1991 -- against the Sacramento Kings. ... Warriors PG Stephen Curry was selected the Western Conference Player of the Week for games through Sunday. He scored 118 points during Golden State's 3-0 start. ... Golden State GM Bob Myers said before the game that he made formal offers to SF Harrison Barnes and C Festus Ezeli well ahead of the midnight deadline for contract extensions for 2012 first-round draft picks. No agreements were expected. ... Grizzlies SF Vince Carter, who was originally drafted by the Warriors, played in his 1,215th NBA game, moving into 31st place on the all-time list. He had three points in 16 minutes.
Top Game Performances
Memphis |
|
Golden State |
Marc Gasol 13 |
Scoring |
Stephen Curry 30 |
Mike Conley 5 |
Assists |
Draymond Green 8 |
Marc Gasol 9 |
Rebounds |
Festus Ezeli 10 |
Mike Conley 6 |
Free Throws Made |
Ian Clark 6 |
Jordan Adams 1 |
Steals |
Stephen Curry 3 |
Matt Barnes 3 |
Blocks |
Festus Ezeli 3 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
Memphis
|
69 |
27.1 |
3-23 |
14-20 |
21 |
44 |
7 |
8 |
12 |
Golden State
|
119 |
51.2 |
11-25 |
22-30 |
32 |
65 |
13 |
8 |
14 |
Upcoming Games
-
Golden State will play their next game at home against L.A. Clippers. The Warriors have a W/L % of 1.000 after a win and .000 after a loss.
-
Memphis will play their next game on the road against Sacramento. The Grizzlies have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .500 after a loss.