MEMPHIS — Late in the first quarter Saturday night, Draymond Green found Patrick McCaw on the low block. The ball ricocheted off the rookie guard’s hands and bounced out of bounds.
Green exhaled deeply, raising his hands in frustration. It was a moment that came to encapsulate the Warriors’ 110-89 loss to the Grizzlies at FedExForum.
In just its second defeat since Nov. 4, Golden State deviated from the blueprint that was foundational to the best start in the NBA. Gone were the crisp passes, open jumpers and timely steals that define head coach Steve Kerr’s free-flowing system.