Grizzlies rally from 24 down to stun Warriors 128-119 in OT
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) - Rarely did Stephen Curry, coach Steve Kerr and the rest of those 73-win Warriors have to stop and re-evaluate things last season. Until they lost the NBA championship to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, of course.
Golden State sure is taking inventory now, having squandered Curry's 40-point performance and a 24-point lead in the second half of a 128-119 overtime loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night.
"There's no panic at all. You go through these hiccups, these road bumps and it pokes air out of the balloon a little bit, but that's what the regular season's for," Curry said. "Last year, I don't think we had many opportunities to kind of self-assess and look ourselves in the mirror and see where we were at, just riding that wave."
Draymond Green plans to do his part in the learning process after criticizing his own poor body language. He figures that affected his teammates as the game got away.
The Warriors watched as Mike Conley knocked down a key jumper with 55 seconds left in OT on the way to 27 points, and the Grizzlies beat Golden State for the second time this season.
Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph each made two quick baskets as the Grizzlies hit their initial five shots in the extra period and snapped Golden State's nine-game home winning streak.
"I'm actually happy we lost today because there are some things that we need to correct in order to win a championship. That's our goal," Green said. "Our fourth-quarter offense has been atrocious."
Green converted a three-point play for the Warriors with 2:22 left in overtime, then made a steal on the other end. But he turned the ball over and Troy Daniels immediately hit a corner 3-pointer for Memphis.
Conley tied it on a 17-footer with 7.4 seconds left in regulation, and a heavily guarded Curry missed from way back before the buzzer.
Kevin Durant had 27 points and 13 rebounds but missed five free throws in the Warriors' sixth defeat of the season. The Grizzlies handed Golden State a 110-89 loss on Dec. 10.
"The fourth quarter, once they made that run, our body language was bad, and that can't happen," Kerr said. "And that bothered me."
One spectacular play seemed it would sum up Curry's night until his team crumbled.
Off the ground mid-shot, he knocked down a 3-pointer and converted the four-point play to chants of "M-V-P!" with 5:16 left in the third quarter after a foul on his backside by Vince Carter. Curry's bottom on the court and mouthpiece hanging out moments later, he raised both arms to make sure everybody knew the shot was good.
The Warriors didn't make their first field goal in the fourth until Curry's jumper with 3:14 to go. They shot 2 for 13 in the period with five turnovers.
"I love that it was a great team that we beat, but I want more consistency," Grizzlies coach David Fizdale said. "Right now we play like spoilers. We haven't proven that as a contender we can do it night in and night out."
Klay Thompson had been questionable with an illness but got going in a hurry. He scored 12 points on 12 shots in 13 minutes out of the gate and wound up with 17 points for Golden State.
Curry, who shot 15 for 27 and 5 of 13 on 3s, has made a concerted effort to be more aggressive on the offensive end during this recent stretch and since a defeat at Cleveland on Christmas after which he said he didn't shoot enough.
He had his second 40-point game following a 35-point outing Wednesday against Portland. But the Warriors lost for the first time in 26 regular-season games when Curry scored at least 30 points.
Memphis won on Golden State's home floor for the first time since an 88-81 victory in overtime on Nov. 20, 2013.
TIP-INS
Grizzlies: F JaMychal Green started after missing Wednesday's game at the Clippers, wearing a mask to protect the facial fracture he sustained Friday. "I guess it's not something that bothers him. He's a tough kid," Fizdale said. ... Tony Allen had a season-high six steals.
Warriors: Golden State had gone four straight games with 30 or more assists while shooting at least 50 percent, but did neither this time (23 assists, 49.4 percent). ... The Warriors held a 24-18 rebounding advantage in the first half but were outrebounded 47-44 overall.
UP NEXT
Grizzlies: Host Utah on Sunday after beating the Jazz 102-96 in Salt Lake City on Nov. 14.
Warriors: At Sacramento on Sunday in their only non-home game in a stretch of 10, but they don't get on a plane until Jan. 19. The Warriors have won the last 12 meetings, 13 of 14 and six in a row on the road but will play their first game at the new Golden 1 Center.