3 best parts of Memphis Grizzlies’ 19-point comeback over Warriors

Part 3: The Memphis Grizzlies played the best three quarters of defense of any NBA team this season

Unfortunately, I can’t say that the Memphis Grizzlies played the best full game of defense because, in all honesty, the first quarter was an expletive show. I replaced a bad word with the word “expletive,” if you were having trouble understanding that last sentence.

The Grizzlies allowed 37 points, scoring just 20 offensively and it seemed like their struggles against Portland were not a mirage. Memphis simply looked like a team that was still experiencing significant growing pains.

That was not the case.

This Grizz team wouldn’t allow any more than 24 points in a quarter beyond the first, holding Golden State short of 20 points in the second and fourth quarters. How did they do it? Creating turnovers and forcing bad shots.

On the night, the Warriors turned the ball over 23 times, their highest total of the season. 17 of these came in the form of a Grizzly steal. Memphis would also block nine shots on the night, most of which came from relatively small players.

One of those small players was De’Anthony Melton, who had one of the best defensive performances by a Grizzly basketball player in recent memory. Even during a shooting slump, Mr. Do Something did something.

Melton recorded four steals and three blocks on the night. If you’re not overly familiar with basketball, that’s an extremely difficult stat line to achieve. Add the fact that a 6’2″ shooting guard did this and your jaw should be on the floor.

The Grizzlies proved against Golden State that they have enough playmakers to be a real threat in the Western Conference. Now, they’ve just got to find a way to put it all together more consistently.