National Basketball Association
Preview
Memphis at Golden State
When: 10:00 PM ET, Friday, November 15, 2024
Where: Chase Center, San Francisco, California

The Memphis Grizzlies and Golden State Warriors get their first opportunity to show off their new look to one another when the Western Conference rivals meet in an NBA Cup game Friday night in San Francisco.

The Grizzlies will be making their first NBA Cup appearance of the season, while the Warriors will be seeking a second consecutive home win in West Group C play of the in-season event, having rallied to beat the Dallas Mavericks 120-117 in Klay Thompson's return to San Francisco on Tuesday.

Memphis will once again be without injured Ja Morant (hip) and GG Jackson II (foot), and Desmond Bane (oblique) is questionable to return after a seven-game absence.

The Grizzlies did get Marcus Smart back for their 128-123 road loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday. Smart had 15 points and six assists in 23 minutes off the bench after missing six games.

The injury issues haven't stopped the Grizzlies from running up big numbers this year. They have gone for 131, 128, 134 and 123 points in their past four games, winning three of them.

Unfortunately for the Grizzlies, they gave up a season-high-tying 128 points against the Lakers, including 38 while falling behind by as many as 13 in the first quarter.

"Love the fight, but you can't give up 40 (actually 38) points in the first quarter on the road," Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins said. "We found our groove in the second and third quarter, but ...

"This is a learning opportunity. We've got to come out a lot better in the first quarter on the road."

In the Warriors, Memphis will see a team that now features two familiar faces -- De'Anthony Melton and Kyle Anderson -- both of whom played for the Grizzlies when they took Golden State to six games in the Western Conference semifinals in 2022.

The Grizzlies will not have to face Melton, however, after the Warriors announced Thursday that the guard sprained his left ACL in the Tuesday win. He will receive additional testing to determine how much time he may miss.

Melton's injury is a significant blow given his recent strong play. After returning from a back injury, Melton had his first Golden State double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds in a win at Oklahoma City on Sunday, then contributed 14 points to the Tuesday victory over the Mavericks.

Melton is averaging 10.3 points in 20.2 minutes while shooting 40.7 percent from the field over six games (two starts) this season.

"He's obviously a really important player for us and is a guy who we envisioned as, and has done a good job at, the starting 2-guard," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. "It's a concern, for sure. We'll know more over the next few days."

Kerr did not specify who would replace Melton in the starting lineup. Buddy Hield (17.6 points per game, second on team) and Jonathan Kuminga (14.7 points per game, tied for third) are two candidates.

Like the Grizzlies, the Warriors have stepped up the scoring pace this season. The 120 points they scored against Dallas marked their seventh contest of 120 or more this season. Golden State has gone 7-0 in those games.

--Field Level Media

Stats and Records
Team Comparison
  W/L Strk Home Away Day Night Div Conf
Memphis 7-5 L1 4-2 3-3 0-0 7-5 0-1 3-2
Golden State 9-2 W2 3-1 6-1 0-1 9-1 0-1 7-1
Last Meeting
Memphis Golden State
Date Away Home Pts Reb FG% Pts Reb FG%
3/20/24 MEM 116 GS 137 116 45 43.8 137 48 58.0
Player Stats
Previous Matchup
Points Player Total FG% FTM
Memphis G. Jackson 35 57.9 6
Golden State J. Kuminga 26 70.6 0
Rebounds Player Total Off Def
Memphis D. Jarreau 10 4 6
Golden State D. Green 12 4 8
Assists Player  
Memphis D. Jarreau 5
Golden State C. Paul 14
Season
Points Player Total FG% FTM
Memphis J. Jackson Jr. 225 54.7 41
Golden State B. Hield 267 50.3 12
Rebounds Player Total Off Def
Memphis Z. Edey 117 49 68
Golden State K. Looney 107 48 59
Assists Player  
Memphis S. Pippen Jr. 92
Golden State D. Green 72
Quickchart Matchup
Memphis Memphis Off vs  Golden State Golden State Defense
Memphis Off vs Golden State - Points For 121.1 Points For
Memphis Off vs Golden State - Points Against 110.1 Points Against
Memphis - FG% 49.2 FG%
Golden State - FG% 43.9 FG%
Memphis - Reb 47.3 Reb
Golden State - Reb 45.0 Reb
Golden State Golden State Off vs  Memphis Memphis Defense
Golden State Off vs Memphis - Points For 121.2 Points For
Golden State Off vs Memphis - Points Against 112.9 Points Against
Golden State - FG% 47.8 FG%
Memphis - FG% 43.9 FG%
Golden State - Reb 48.4 Reb
Memphis - Reb 42.4 Reb