OAKLAND—The Golden State Warriors squandered a 24-point lead, falling to the Memphis Grizzlies 128-119 at Oracle Arena on Friday, January 6.
Steph Curry had a game-high 40 points to go along with four rebounds and six assists for the Warriors, who hadn’t lost a game since a Christmas Day matchup with the NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers.
Curry had a chance to win the game with a 3-pointer at the end of regulation, but failed to convert the field goal while being heavily guarded.
Kevin Durant had 27 points, 13 rebounds, and four assists. Klay Thompson scored 17 points while Draymond Green added 11 points, eight rebounds and four assists.
“I’m actually happy that 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.”
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr was unhappy with the team’s fourth quarter performance, and believed that’s when Golden State lost focus.
“The fourth quarter, once they made that run, our body language was bad, and that can’t happen,” Kerr said after the game. “And that bothered me.”
Mike Conley led the Grizzlies with 27 points, four rebounds and 12 assists. Zach Randolph scored 27 points and grabbed 11 rebounds and six assists off the bench. Marc Gasol contributed 23 points, five rebounds and three assists.
The Grizzlies snapped a two-game losing streak with the victory, moving to 23-16 on the season and sixth place in the Western Conference. Memphis will host the Utah Jazz in their next game on Sunday, January 8.
The Warriors have won eight of their last 10 games, and remain the NBA’s best team with a 31-6 overall record. Golden State will travel to Sacramento for a matchup with the Kings on Sunday, January 8.
