The Memphis Grizzlies walloped the Golden State Warriors in a 144-93 thrashing at the FedEx Center in Memphis. This was arguably the worst loss of the Stephen Curry era, as the Grizzlies exposed their defense and completely killed any offensive momentum they could generate.
The Grizzlies’ only 20-point scorer in this big win was Santi Aldama with 21 points (8-16 FG) and 14 rebounds. Jake LaRavia had 19 points and six rebounds while Jaren Jackson Jr. put up 17 points (5-10 FG) and six rebounds. Desmond Bane had 15 points (6-9 FG) and seven assists while rookie Jaylen Wells scored 13 points (5-6 FG. Ja Morant had a quiet nine-point (4-9 FG) outing but played just 17 minutes.
Brandin Podziemski had his first 20-point game of the season with 21 points (9-13 FG) and six assists in this brutal loss. Andrew Wiggins scored 19 points (6-11 FG), while Kyle Anderson (4-8 FG) and Jonathan Kuminga (2-12 FG) both scored 11 points apiece. Stephen Curry had just two points (0-7 FG) in probably the worst showing of his career and Draymond Green laid a goose egg with zero points (0-4 FG).
Let’s take a look at the major takeaways from this one-sided loss.
Stephen Curry’s Worst Night In NBA History
It shocks me even to write this stat line, but Stephen Curry ended the night with two points (0-7 FG, 0-6 3P, 2-2 FT), three rebounds, and one assist in one of the worst showings of his illustrious career. He played 24 minutes in the contest, marking a new low for his career as this was the first time he ever played over 15 minutes in a game and registered zero made shots.
The greatest shooter in NBA history didn’t look like a dangerous offensive presence at any time in this game. Younger Curry had a much faster first step, which would allow him to get the openings he needed to make tough shots, but today, the young and athletic Grizzlies ensured he felt his age on the court. Curry had no lateral burst, his teammates looked equally frazzled, and this performance will likely live in infamy.
Curry’s averaging 22.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 6.4 assists this season, and the Warriors have a 10-11 record in games he plays. This loss should reinforce the fact that the Warriors desperately need to add a star-level player before the trade deadline if they hope to have any chances at being competitive.
Draymond Green Creates Bad History
Draymond Green entered the history books for his own terrible showing tonight. In 19 minutes of action, Green notched zero points (0-4 FG), zero rebounds, and zero assists while being a -42 in his limited minutes in the game. No player in NBA history has been able to notch a +/- that bad in under 20 minutes of on-court action, so Green will be headed to the annals of NBA history depressingly.
Green had no impact on this game and was ineffective when trying to guard bigs like Jaren Jackson Jr. and Santi Aldama. It is ironic that he had arguably the worst defensive game of his career on the same night Curry had his worst offensive game. However, it also shows how badly the Warriors crumble without these two leading the franchise from the front.
Green is averaging 8.9 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 5.6 assists in what many have said was a great season so far for the forward. This loss will likely change how people view his contributions, as the Warriors have slid from the top of the table to the No. 10 seed in a matter of weeks.
The Grizzlies Are Top-Tier Threats
People have been trepidatious about naming the Grizzlies as a top team in the West after injuries ruined their season last year. But with two months of the season now behind us, it’s safe to say the Grizzlies are one of the elite teams in the West. They’re 19-9 this season and comfortably occupy the No. 2 seed in the Conference.
The Grizzlies shot 53-98 (54.1 FG%) in this win while going a red-hot 27-48 (56.3 3P%) from three. They outrebounded the Warriors by a margin of 24 boards (60-36) while forcing Golden State into committing 17 turnovers. There’s not a single statistical element from this game where the Grizzlies didn’t comfortably outshine the Warriors, leading to their biggest win of the season.
The Grizzlies’ ability to pull this off while still missing rotational players like Marcus Smart, Vince Williams Jr., and GG Jackson II shows how competent their roster as a whole is. This win will put everyone else in the NBA on notice, as the Grizzlies are officially back to the form we saw them in a few seasons ago.
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