Warriors cruise past Grizzlies in NBA Cup game

Another win in the books.

The Golden State Warriors were in a favorable position entering Friday’s game, having had two off days in between home games, before facing a Memphis Grizzlies squad that was without two-time All-Star Ja Morant. And as they’ve consistently done so far in this young NBA season, they capitalized on the opportunity, cruising to a comfortable 123-118 win that wasn’t nearly as close as the final score, and taking over first place in group play of the Emirates NBA Cup, where they now have a 2-0 record.

Golden State kicked things off with a new starting lineup, with Lindy Waters III not only re-entering the rotation, but making the starting five in place of the injured De’Anthony Melton. That move paid off early, with Waters scoring the team’s first five points. With defense leading the charge for both teams, the Grizzlies jumped out to an early 10-5 lead, before the Warriors rattled off a 9-0 run. But Memphis flipped the script when they brought in rookie Zach Edey, the tallest player in the league, which sparked a 9-2 run in the Grizzlies’ favor. From there, the team’s traded baskets in what turned into a hectic game. The Dubs capitalized on some strong transition offense, and led 29-28 after the first quarter, after assisting on 11 of their 12 baskets.

Things started to really turn Golden State’s way in the second quarter. Despite missing some clean looks and good opportunities, the Warriors still rattled off a 10-2 run to open the quarter, forcing Memphis to call a timeout. But with Jaren Jackson Jr. relentlessly scoring for the Grizzlies, the Warriors were unable to run away with the game. They pushed the lead to double digits, but Memphis answered repeatedly. A tough jump shot by Steph Curry with 1.1 seconds remaining gave the Warriors a 55-48 lead at the break.

And then, as has been the case for much of the year, the dangerous Third Quarter Warriors showed up. With Brandin Podziemski inserted into the starting lineup for Waters (who left the game with a knee injury), the Warriors scored the first five points of the quarter. A few minutes later, the lead was 14, and Memphis was calling timeout.

It turned into an incredibly physical game, with bodies hitting the floor left and right. It wasn’t dirty at all, it just started to resemble a football game a little bit. But despite that, the deciding factor was the shooting. The Warriors dropped in six triples on just 10 attempts in the quarter, while the Grizzlies missed all seven of their shots from beyond the arc. And as a result, the Warriors took a 15-point lead into the fourth quarter.

There would be no fourth-quarter meltdown this time. Golden State pushed the lead to 20 just a few minutes into the frame, and later built the lead up to 24 points. While the Grizzlies did a good job of chipping away at the lead in the closing minutes — which served some purpose, as point differential is a tiebreaker in the NBA Cup — they never really threatened to get back into the game. They worked the 24-point deficit all the way down to single digits, but not until the outcome was already decided, well inside the final minute. The closest thing we got to late-game drama wasn’t the score or the play, but Draymond Green picking up a second technical foul from the bench, earning his first ejection of the year.

Golden State’s two leading scorers came off the bench, with Buddy Hield dropping in 18 points and Moses Moody 14. Steph Curry only had 13 points, but controlled the action all night long, and finished with eight points, five assists, and four steals. Green and Andrew Wiggins also had 13 points, while Podziemski made it six players in double figures by scoring 11.

The Warriors moved to 10-2 on the season, where they’re in sole possession of second place in the Western Conference. At 2-0 they sit atop West Group C in the Emirates Cup, ahead of the New Orleans Pelicans (1-0), as well as the Denver Nuggets, Dallas Mavericks, and Grizzlies (0-1).

Golden State now gets the weekend off before heading south to face the LA Clippers on Monday night.