The Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry (30) is floored after scoring a three pointer on a night the Warriors were shorthanded. Curry made up the difference scoring 46 points against Dillon Brooks (24) and the Memphis Grizzlies at the Chase Center in San Francisco (AP News photo)

Short-Handed Warriors Beat Memphis 113-104; Curry scores 46 pts

By Barbara Mason

The Golden State Warriors(26-6) would really like a little revenge tonight against the Memphis Grizzlies (19-4) however they have their backs absolutely slammed against the wall. Jordan Poole, Andrew Wiggins, Damien Lee and Andre Iguodala will not be on the court tonight. The team is still awaiting the return of Klay Thompson and James Wiseman so this game against the Grizzlies will be a major challenge.

Memphis has been a real pain in the rear for Golden State. They knocked the Warriors out of the play-in tournament in a disappointing defeat last season. The Grizzlies beat the Warriors in their first loss of this season 104-101 in a very tight game.The Grizzlies are currently 19-13 while the Warriors are 25-6. Golden State is in second place in the Western Conference and the Grizzlies are holding down fourth place in the same division.

The Grizzlies came out with a vengeance leading after the first quarter 31-27. The Warriors remained just within striking distance but had failed to take the lead.

The Warriors remained competitive trailing by two points with just over three minutes left in the half. After Stephen Curry made a technical free throw, Nemanja Bjelica had a chance to take a one point lead just before the half but missed. The Grizzlies led by a single point 53-52 after two quarters. Despite being without some key players, the Warriors were playing a solid game. They came mentally prepared for this game and it really showed.

The Warriors took the lead early in the third quarter 55-53. This was the largest lead of the night for Golden State. The good news was the fact that the Warriors are a third and fourth quarter team. Mid-way through the quarter the Warriors began to extend their lead 73-66. Curry came unleashed even though Memphis was all over him shooting 5 of 8 from downtown. As the third quarter began to wind down the Warriors led 78-73 in a real head-knocker, The one thing that was certain was that you could not count Memphis out. The Grizzlies fought back and in the final seconds of the quarter trailed 84-83.

Curry was doing his best to take this game home but the Grizzlies just would not go away. Every time Memphis got within striking distance, Curry reminded them who was in charge on this court. Just when the Warriors looked to be on course for a win turnovers began to take a toll on the team. Three in a row would not win this game. They had a few minutes to clean this up.

In the final two minutes Golden State delivered the knockout punch. The Warriors took this game away as the clock ran out winning 113-104. Curry had another amazing performance finishing with 46 points and 8 of 14 from downtown.

Off the bench Gary Payton had a great game with 22 points. He was asked about the difficulty of guarding superstar Ja Morant. “I just tried to wear him down, make it tough for him,” said Payton after the game His offense and defense was off the charts and the hard work he has put in has really shown in his shooting especially from downtown. Curry’s night was amazing but he has a cast of great support and together they won this game.

So the Warriors despite being short-handed got their revenge in this win. They will have another challenge on Christmas Day against the Western Conference leaders, the Phoenix Suns. Tipoff is schedule for 2:00 PM.