The Golden State Warriors' 16-game winning streak came to an end Tuesday night against the Memphis Grizzlies.
The Dubs were playing without big men David Lee and Andrew Bogut against a big Memphis team -- Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph took full advantage of their absence in the paint.
The two teams with the best records in the NBA – Golden State at 21-3 and Memphis at 20-4 – played hard, but the Dubs weren't able to keep up.
Golden State led in the first quarter, but Vince Carter and the Grizzlies bench responded with a 20-0 run in the second. The Warriors played catch-up in the 2nd half, and although they got close, the Grizzlies never gave up the lead.
For a team known for their shooting, Golden State struggled on Tuesday night. Klay Thompson scored 22 points, and Stephen Curry added 19 points on a rough night for the Warriors. Draymond Green, who’s been referred to recently as the third Splash Brother, scored a mere four points on 2-for-11 shooting. Curry and Green combined were 1-for-14 from 3-point range.
Marc Gasol led the Grizzlies with 24 points, and Mike Conley and Zach Randolph had 17 points each.
The Dubs were hit with two straight fourth-quarter technical fouls – Andre Iguodala was T’d up for mocking Memphis guard Mike Conley with a dance re-enactment of him traveling while scoring a layup, and Warriors coach Steve Kerr also received a technical for complaining to officials about the play. Courtney Lee hit the two technical free-throws and gave the Grizzlies a nine-point lead with a little over three minutes left in the game.
Curry scored a layup with 38.3 seconds left, cutting the Grizzlies lead to 99-96, but while the Warriors put up a good fight, it ultimately wasn’t enough.
This is the Warriors' first loss since Nov 11, so it won't come as a huge surprise that the Dubs still hold the best record in the NBA at 21-3. They play the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night at 7:30 at Oracle Arena.
Back to the Golden State Warriors Newsfeed