Before their win over the Suns on October 29th, the Grizzlies started the week on the road against the Golden State Warriors, which also marked their first big test of the season. Memphis was looking to build some momentum, but unfortunately, they left California with their second loss of the year. The final score of the game was 131-118, though it wasn’t as bad as people might think.
The game marked Memphis’ fourth game of the season, so the team was still trying to find its rhythm. Several rotation players were injured, which made playing on the road against a relatively healthy Warriors team no easy task. However, the loss extended Memphis’ losing streak in the state of California, where they have not won a game since January 5, 2024.
On paper, the Grizzlies were not horribly outperformed in most categories. Memphis played an incredibly competitive game of basketball for the first two quarters. At the end of the day, both teams recorded 39 rebounds, and Memphis was better than Golden State in the turnover column. During halftime, the Grizzlies had a four-point deficit but appeared to be gaining some confidence.
That said, Golden State was better in the three-point shooting category, where they shot 44.2% compared to Memphis’ 30.8%. The Warriors (not surprisingly) also took a very high volume of three-point shots, but Memphis attempted only 4 fewer. When the Grizzlies are connecting from beyond the arc, they are a very dangerous team, but those shots were not falling for Memphis this time around.
The turning point
One of the big talking points of the game was the incident that took place at the 3:48 mark in the 3rd quarter. Draymond Green received a technical foul and a flagrant 1 penalty, though his technical foul was offset due to Tuomas Iisalo also being assessed one. Santi Aldama shot two free throws following the flagrant 1 penalty, but he missed them both.
Upon missing the free throws, Green proceeded to taunt Aldama in celebratory fashion (no additional penalty was assessed for this). The exchange leading up to the call stemmed from a verbal confrontation between Green and Jaren Jackson Jr., and the officials were quick to intervene.
While players on both sides need to be careful not to escalate the situation, there are ways to display unity, toughness, and grit without crossing that line. Every team needs someone, or a group of people, willing to set the tone and make it clear that nobody on the Grizzlies can be pushed around. In the grand scheme of things, this was just one small moment from a long basketball game; however, it completely changed the tone, got the crowd involved, and allowed the tides to continue to turn in Golden State’s favor for the remainder of the night.
The next big test
The Grizzlies return home to face the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Cup, which will be their second big test of the season and a chance to regain some confidence in front of their home crowd. Coming off a game versus the Suns that was way too close for comfort, a win against the Lakers would be huge for Memphis.
This upcoming matchup is another opportunity for Memphis’ stars to rise to the occasion and lead the way amid the team’s injury challenges. Ja Morant won the game for the Grizzlies in Phoenix, but this same level of urgency and eagerness to win needs to be displayed across the entire roster for every game moving forward. Early setbacks are part of the journey, but how the Grizzlies regroup and weather the storm will lay the groundwork for what’s ahead.