The Golden State Warriors beat the Memphis Grizzlies 97-84 at Oracle Arena Wednesday night.
The Warriors and Grizzlies were ready to battle it out on the court tonight. Fans in attendance received Zaza Pachulia bobbleheads, courtesy of realtor.com. The Golden State starting lineup featured Kevin Durant, Jordan Bell, JaVale McGee, Klay Thompson and Quinn Cook. Meanwhile, the Grizzlies’ starting lineup consisted of Tyreke Evans, Marc Gasol, Andrew Harrison, Dillon Brooks and JaMychal Green.
McGee got Golden State going with a hook early in the first quarter. He continued to make a couple of notable plays. Durant, Thompson and Omri Casspi also made things exciting for Golden State. However, the Golden State trailed the Grizzlies 28-24 at the end of the first quarter.
Thompson scored 25 points in the first half, which was a season-high for any half this year. Last time, Thompson had 23 on Oct. 20 at the New Orleans Pelicans. Thompson’s career half high is 40 points, dating back to Dec. 5, 2016 vs. Indiana Pacers.
The Golden State held a 56-51 lead over the Grizzlies at halftime. Durant’s shooting wasn’t spectacular in the third quarter, but Nick Young hit a three-pointer to make up for Durant’s rather lackluster performance. The Warriors led the Grizzlies 74-65 at the end of the third quarter.
Patrick McCaw made a putback dunk to push the Warriors ahead 76-68 with 10:12 left in the fourth quarter.
Notes: Warriors injury update: Draymond Green (right shoulder soreness), Andre Iguodala (flu-like symptoms) and Zaza Pachulia (left shoulder soreness) are out for tonight’s game vs. Grizzlies.
Grizzlies’ injury report: Mike Conley (left heel), Wayne Selden Jr. (right quad) and Chandler Parsons are out (rest) for tonight’s game vs. Warriors. Brandon Wright (right groin) is listed as doubtful.
Up Next
Warriors host the Lakers on Friday, December 22 at 7:30 pm PST.
Grizzlies visit the Suns on Thursday, December 21 at 7:00 pm MST.
Zach Randolph and Vince Carter are teammates again in Sacramento
The Sacramento Kings knew their young roster needed some veteran experience to help guide them through the upcoming NBA season and to give them a chance to be competitive in the west. First, it was the signings of point guard George Hill and power forward Zach Randolph that brought maturity to the team.
Now according to ESPN reports, veteran small forward/shooting guard Vince Carter’s agents are announcing their client has signed a one-year contract with the Kings worth a reported $8-million. The 40-year old Carter will be entering his 20th season in the NBA in 2017-18.
Carter entered “the association” in 1998 when was drafted in the first round (fifth overall) out of the University of North Carolina by the Golden State Warriors. He then was traded plus cash to the Toronto Raptors in a Draft Night trade that saw the Warriors receive the number four overall pick Antwan Jamison in return.
This is another part of getting the band back together for Joerger
Every coach desires to have the key people from his previous team join him in a new situation, but that is not always feasible. When Dave Joerger found out he would not be returning to the Memphis Grizzlies as head coach, he barely had time to go find a new job and bring assistant coaches with him to Sacramento let alone try to transfer player personnel.
Dave Joerger now has two key veterans from his days in Memphis on his roster in Sacramento with the addition of Carter. Carter joins Zach Randolph who is expected to his special “Z-BO” brand of toughness to the front line of the young Kings team.
Joerger knows how to develop young talent. He earned his way to an NBA head coaching job by spending years coaching young players in the CBA, D-League and then as an assistant in “the association”. Joerger really likes to have inexperienced players learn by observation as well as by instruction. He has some strong talent for them to watch in Carter, Randolph and Hill.
Carter was a key figure for Memphis in ’16-’17
Carter played in 73 games last season – his most appearances since 2013. He averaged 8.0-points per game to go with 3.1-rebounds per game in 24.6-minutes per game. The Grizzlies used him at small forward the majority of the time.
Carter shot 39.4-percent overall in 2016-17. He shot 41.8-percent from 2-point range and 37.8-percent from beyond the 3-point line. His eFG% was 50.8-percent. Carter added an average of 1.2-assists, 0.8-steals and 0.5-blocks per game. He turned the ball over less than once per game (0.7).
Carter is a “long distance” shooter. Of his 490 field goal attempts last season, 303 of them came from a distance of at least 20-feet away from the basket. 175 of those attempts came from 25-29 feet away from the bucket. Carter will help the Kings spread the floor.
They are going to miss “Z-BO” in Memphis
No other Memphis player will ever wear No. 50
The Memphis Grizzlies have announced they are planning to retire the number 50 jersey worn by Zach Randolph who has just become a member of the Sacramento Kings as a free agent. Randolph was in Memphis for eight seasons.
In a tweet, Grizzlies majority owner Robert Para said that number 50 “will never be worn by another member of the Memphis Grizzlies.” He also thanked Randolph for helping turn a lottery team into a playoff contender and helping to make the team a model of community service.
Randolph will be the first Memphis player to have his number retired in team history.
Kings add to the coaching staff
Phil Ricci is now an assistant coach for the Kings
Phil Ricci has been hired to be an assistant player development coach for the Sacramento Kings working on head coach Dave Joerger’s staff.
Ricci has a resume that includes almost twenty years of coaching and playing time at the professional and collegiate levels. He played in the NBA Development League (now the G-League) and overseas.
This is a homecoming for Ricci who attended high school in Galt and played basketball at Delta Community College (Stockton) prior to going to Oregon State.
The Sacramento Kings appeared to be in neutral on the free agent market while waiting to see if the Washington Wizards would match their offer sheet for Otto Porter Jr. In reality, they were working on deals in a stealth mode that caught most observers by total surprise.
Kings get experience at point guard
Sacramento is very happy with the talent they drafted at point guard in De’Aaron Fox and Frank Mason III. The only problem is that neither player has one minute of playing time in the NBA. That is not an acceptable situation.
The Kings point guards from last season were both free agents. Darren Collison just signed a two-year deal with the Indiana Pacers. There were reports that Sacramento was in discussions with Ty Lawson about returning to the team, but he certainly would be looking for a guaranteed contract with multiple years or options. Lawson played last season on a one-year non-guaranteed contract.
Enter George Hill. Hill had been rumored to be heading to Los Angeles to play with the Lakers and to be a mentor to Lonzo Ball. Reports are circling the Lakers were only willing to offer a one-year deal. Not the kind of security a 31-year old, nine-year NBA veteran in a salary market gone mad is looking for this year.
It has been reported the Jazz tried to sign Hill to an extension during the season valued at $88-million but he and his representatives thought he would do better on the open market in the offseason. The free agent market did not fall Hill’s direction.
According to the Vertical who broke the story, the deal is for three years and worth $57-million. David Aldridge of NBA.com is reporting the third year is only partially guaranteed.
Hill will almost certainly be the starter in Sacramento. Head coach Dave Joerger makes no bones about not being thrilled about throwing rookies into starting roles. Last season, first-year players sat at the end of the bench and then were summoned into the game for limited minutes. Depending on their performance, more or less playing time was awarded to the young players.
Hill will be expected to mentor the young point guards. He can also play along side them as an off-guard. Joerger also liked using an offense that incorporated two point guards on the floor in a “small ball” lineup.
Hill averaged 16.9 points per game in 49 games last season. His overall shooting percentage was 47.7. He shot 40.3-percent from 3-point range. Hill averaged 4.2 assists, 3.4 rebounds, 1 steal and 1.7 turnovers per game.
The injury that caused Hill to miss so many games last season was a sprained big toe. He said it was a freak injury and it proved to be a nagging injury that did not heal well under the pressure of playing. The toe did not require any surgery in the offseason.
He’s big — he’s bad — he’s Z-Bo and now he is a King
The other player the Kings reportedly signed on Tuesday brings a dimension of toughness to the team that they lost when DeMarcus Cousins was traded away. The difference is that Zach Randolph knows how to keep things under control while banging under the basket.
“Z-Bo” as he is known has reportedly signed a two-year, $24-million contract with Sacramento. The signing was first reported by the “the Woj” of ESPN. Randolph’s signing also reunites him with his old coach Dave Joerger who was the head man in Memphis for three seasons.
Last season in Memphis, Randolph worked as a sixth man for the Grizzlies. He averaged 14.1 points and 8.2 rebounds in 29.5 minutes playing time per game. Will Randolph be a sixth man in Sac? Dave Joerger likes to vary starting lineups based on matchups and on who is hot at the moment. The one thing you can count on is the Randolph was not signed to come sit on the Kings bench.
Randolph — who will turn 36 later this month — has been in “the association” since 2001. He has made stops in Portland, New York, Los Angeles (Clippers) and Memphis. Randolph played his college basketball at Michigan State for Tom Izzo and helped lead the Spartans to the NCAA Final Four in 2001.
The Sacramento Kings started an eight game road trip in Memphis on Friday night with a 107-91 loss to the Grizzlies. The Kings (16-26) have now lost four games in a row and have fallen to 11th place in the Western Conference but are just 1.5 games behind the Denver Nuggets who are in eighth place – the final playoff qualifying position.
As the Kings struggle to figure out how to win games without the injured Rudy Gay (Achilles tendon) for the rest of the season, the team must also deal with the fact they are still in playoff contention. At this point, it is almost appears that no team really wants to take control of eighth place in the West.
The Kings started the game strong in Memphis – something that this team has not been doing recently. They outscored the Grizzlies 23-15 in the first behind seven points from DeMarcus Cousins and Ty Lawson’s six points. The Kings also played strong defense holding Memphis to just 30.4-percent shooting including going 0-for-7 from beyond the 3-point line.
The situation changed dramatically in the second quarter as the Grizzlies came alive behind the play of Vince Carter who scored 11 points off the bench. Memphis shot 12-for-22 (54.5-percent) from the floor and hit 3-of-7 from long range. The Grizzlies outscored the Kings 34-19 and took a 49-42 lead with them to the locker room at halftime.
The Grizzlies came out in the third quarter ready play just like they had in the second period. In the third, it was Marc Gasol who led the Memphis attack with 15 points. Zach Randolph put up seven points in less than three minutes on the floor. The Grizzlies outscored Sacramento 34-22 as DeMarcus Cousins was limited to just three points in the period. At the end of three quarters, Memphis held a 84-63 lead.
After his team’s lackluster third quarter performance, Dave Joerger sat his starters for the fourth quarter and inserted Willie Cauley-Stein and Ben McLemore. Later in the fourth, rookies Malachi Richardson and Skal Labissiere saw playing time. The Kings did outscore the Grizzlies 27-24 in the final period.
Joerger’s postgame analysis
It was a tough game
We didn’t play really well
We didn’t make shots
We threw the ball away
Memphis has a really good team -players
Stars of the game
Grizzlies
Game-high leading scorer Marc Gasol Photo: NBAE
Marc Gasol scored a game-high 28 points on Friday night shooting 9-for-19 from the floor. He shot 3-for-6 from 3-point range and was a perfect 7-of-7 from the free throw line. Gasol recorded eight rebounds and handed out four assists.
Zach Randolph was a star of the bench which is really no surprise. He posted a double-double scoring 20 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in just 23-minutes of playing time
Kings
It will come as no surprise that DeMarcus Cousins was the Kings star of the game. Sacramento with Rudy Gay lost for the remainder of the season is even more dependent on Cousins than they were three days ago. He led the Kings in scoring with 19 points and made it a double-double by recording 10 rebounds. The oddity was Cousins scored 16 points in the first half and just three point in the third quarter. He did not play in the fourth quarter by coach’s decision. Cousins also picked up his 14th technical foul in the second quarter of the game. That becomes very serious because technical foul number 16 results in a one-game suspension with additional suspensions for every two technical fouls after that 16th tech.
Co-stars
Kings
Ty Lawson working hard on defense Photo: NBAE
Garrett Temple made the start at forward and made an effort to fill the gap left by the loss of Rudy Gay. Temple put up 14 points and hauled in three rebounds while distributing three assists.
Ty Lawson worked hard on the second unit again on Friday night. He scored 13 points and dished out five assists. Lawson has really become a dependable “go to ” player off the bench for the Kings.
Grizzlies
Mike Conley is a key player for the Grizzlies Photo: NBAE
Mike Conley showed again why he is such a key to the Grizzlies success working at the point by scoring 16 points and distributing eight assists. He also recorded eight rebound.
Tony Allen recorded a double-double at guard for Memphis against the Kings. He scored 13 and pulled down 10 rebounds. Five of those rebounds were offensive boards which kept possessions alive.
Key stat of the game
The Grizzlies out-rebounded the Kings 58-35. More importantly, 15 of the Memphis rebounds were offensive rebounds which extended possession and created second chance scoring opportunities. The Grizzlies posted 18 second-chance points to just four for Sacramento.
Up next on the schedule
The Kings moved on to Chicago were they will play the Bulls in the second game of a back-to-back set on the road. They will also face former teammate Rajon Rondo.
The Grizzlies are also back in action on Saturday as they host the high powered Houston Rockets in the FedEx Center “Grind House”.
Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry (30) drives past Memphis Grizzlies’ Marc Gasol (33) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Jan. 6, 2017, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
by Jerry Feitelberg
Oakland-The Memphis Grizzlies, down by 24 points 88-64 midway through the third quarter, stopped the Warriors cold in the fourth quarter. The Grizzlies never led at all in the entire 48 minutes of regulation. They tied the game at 2 in the first quarter and trailed until they tied the game at 111 at the end of the second half. The Grizzlies owned the five -minute overtime period to send the Dubs down to their sixth loss of the year by a score 128-119.
The Warriors lost to Memphis in Memphis on December 10th. The Dubs lost that game by 21 points and were gunning to avenge that loss Friday night at the Oracle Arena.They knew the Grizzlies like to slow the game down. The Grizzlies love to play defense as they are tied for second in that department. The Dubs started well. Steph Curry, playing more aggressively, scored 17 in the first quarter to put the Dubs up by five 34-29. They continued to play well in the second quarter too. The Warriors scored 33 and held the Grizzlies to 28 and led by 12 at the half 67-55. Steph had 19, Klay Thompson knocked down 15, and Kevin Durant added 16.
The Warriors looked unstoppable in the third quarter as they finished the period with a 19-point lead. Steph made four 3-point shots, and the crowd was going wild. No one in the arena could believe what was about to transpire in the fourth quarter. The Grizzlies shut down the Warrior offense. The Warriors went almost nine minutes without a field goal. They made just two buckets in the entire fourth quarter. They scored a total of just 13 points while the Grizzlies outscored them by nineteen to tie the game and send the contest into overtime. The Warriors missed seven free throws in the final period of play to help seal their fate. The Grizzlies dominated play with a smothering defense and were able to get back into the game behind the play of their big men, Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph. Point guard Michael Conley was a force and Troy Daniels made four 3-pointers that helped the Grizzlies to victory. The Grizzlies owned the overtime period. They took the lead for the first time 113-111 and never trailed to win 128-119.
Game Notes- The Warriors turned the ball over just six times in the first half. The second half was a different story as they committed nine turnovers and the Grizzlies were able to capitalize on those mistakes. With the loss, the Warriors are now 31-6 for the year while the Grizzlies,- under first-year head coach Dave Fizdale, improve to 23-16. The Grizzlies now are 2-0 against Golden State this season.
All the Warrior starters were in double figures. Steph led the team with 40 points, six assists, and 4 rebounds. Kevin Durant had a double-double with his 27 points and 13 rebounds. Klay had 17, Draymond 11 points and 8 boards. Zaza Pachulia scored 10, and Shaun Livington tallied 7. Michale Conley paced Memphis with 27 and 12 assists. Zach Randolph, coming off the bench, had a double-double. Randolph scored a season-high 27 to go along with 6 assists and 11 rebounds. Marc Gasol chipped in with 23.The Grizzlies scored 56 points in the paint, and they had 29 assists. The Dubs were held to just 23 assists.
The Warriors will have 48 hours to reflect on the loss. They probably played the worst quarter of basketball of the season Friday night.
The Warriors travel to Sacramento to face the Kings at the new Golden 1 Arena on Sunday. Game time is at 6 pm.
Sacramento — The New Year’s Eve afternoon game between the Memphis Grizzlies and the Sacramento Kings did not become the big holiday celebration the King’s fans were hoping for when they filled the building to capacity. The Kings had defeated the Grizzlies in Memphis earlier in the month, but they could not tame Memphis Saturday afternoon as they lost 112-98.
This was the second consecutive loss for the Kings (14-19) who lost on the road on Wednesday night in Portland. For Memphis (22-14), it was their second win in a row as they were coming off a big victory at home over Oklahoma City on Thursday. The victory also gave the Grizzlies a positive start to their four-game West Coast road trip.
After the game, Kings head coach Dave Joerger called the Grizzlies one of the top four teams in the Western Conference. That is the way the Memphis played and looked in the game against the Kings.
It was all about the “3” for the Grizzlies
Memphis came into the contest shooting 34-percent from 3-point range. In this game, they shot 48.6-percent (17-for-35) from long range literally breaking the backs of the Kings from downtown. Forward JaMychal Green went for 4-for-5 beyond the arc. Zach Randolph came off the bench hitting 4-0f-6 from long range. Mike Conley went 3-for-4 from downtown en route to leading the Memphis scoring attack with 22 points.
The Grizzlies overall shooting was spectacular in the game. They shot an impressive 50.6-percent (44-for-87) from the field. Memphis had five players finish in double figures – Conley 22, Green 18, Randolph 14, Carter 14 and Daniels 11.
The Memphis bench outscored the Sacramento reserves 52-32.
Memphis won this game without much help from Gasol
The Grizzlies are usually very dependent on the center Marc Gasol if they are to have success in a game. The big man was actually very quiet during the first half scoring just two points on free throws while going 0-for-6 from the floor. He also recorded only one rebound in the half.
Gasol disappeared after playing just under three minutes in the third quarter and did return to the game. He rolled his left ankle and went to the training room for treatment. Per a team spokesperson, he could have returned to the game if needed.
We did see Gasol walking under his own power out of the training room after the game. He was not going at full speed, but he did not appear to be in pain.
Tough night for Cousins
DeMarcus Cousins had a tough night with a team that plays tough down low. In the first half, Cousins emphasis seemed to be on distributing the ball. He finished the first half with five of the Kings nine assists.
Cousins picked up his fourth personal foul with 9:16 to play in the third quarter of the game and the Kings trailing 57-49. Joerger chose to keep Cousins in the contest but he really could not be factor on defense for fear of picking up another foul.
Then with 4:08 remaining in the third quarter, Cousins was hit with his eighth technical foul of the season after getting into a shouting confrontation with several Memphis players. At first Cousins and everyone in the building thought he had been ejected from the game because of the hand gestures of the referee, but that turned out not to be the case. Cousins was allowed to remain in the game.
Cousins finished the game with 26 points, 8 assists and four rebounds.
Sacramento struggled with their shooting in the game
The Kings had trouble getting the ball to drop through the basket at times on Saturday. For much of the second half they were shooting under 40-percent from the field. They finished the game with a 43.1-field goal shooting percent (31-for-72).
The 3-point shot was also not the Kings friend versus the Grizzlies. They went 11-for-28 (39.3-percent) from downtown for the game.
The bright spot for the Kings was at the free throw line. Sacramento went 25-for-28 (89.3-percent) from the charity stripe. Memphis went to the free throw line just nine times in the game.
Lawson injured in first half – status is up in the air
Kings guard Ty Lawson was hit in the face late in the second quarter of the game. In order to get to bench and be substituted for, Lawson had to commit a foul to stop the action.
The only update that was given by the team on his status after the game was that Lawson was still under medical evaluation for his injuries.
Up next
The Kings are off until Tuesday when they will travel to Denver to take on the Nuggets for the first time this season. It is always a big deal for some of the Kings players to face Denver because the Nuggets are coached by their former coach Michael Malone.
The Grizzlies travel down the coast to Los Angeles to face the Lakers on Tuesday night.
The Sacramento Kings went into Memphis seeking a win in a city where they had not recorded a victory since 2009 but have posted 12 straight losses. The Kings were also taking their new head coach Dave Joerger back to the city where he was the head man for three years and an assistant coach for six years before they went their separate ways after last season.
If that was not enough motivation, the Kings also needed to bounce back the demoralizing loss to the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night 132-98.
The Kings did respond to all of those motivating factors and beat the Grizzlies on the road 96-92. It was not a pretty win. Both teams played very physical basketball and packed the paint rather than depending on the 3-point shot to win as the Rockets did in Houston. Ironically in a game that was not about 3-pointers, the Grizzlies Troy Daniels made it a 3-point game with 55.3-seconds remaining in the game with a “trey” from 26-feet away from the basket.
The Kings were able to hold on following Ty Lawson hitting 1-of-2 free throws to win the game 96-92.
Kings coach Dave Joerger sounded a bit conflicted after the game
“Kind of a crazy game. A lot of fouls – a lot of free throws, but from a personal stand point a very difficult day for me. You know … to come in here having spent as much of my love and time and family in this community and we love it. It was not an enjoyable game to coach from that aspect. But, now I’m here and these are my guys now. I’m really proud of them. I congratulated them. We’ve had some great efforts … or performances I should say. Kosta Koufos was fantastic tonight. I thought Garrett Temple had a nice game. I thought Darren (Collison) got us in and out of stuff,” said Joerger after the win.
Marc Gasol talks with his former coach Dave Joerger before the game in Memphis photo: Justin Ford USA Today Sports
Koufos and Temple step up big for Sacramento in the win
The Kings were without two key players on Friday as Rudy Gay – a former Grizzly – did not dress due to a right hip flexor strain and Omri Casspi sat out due to illness
Garrett Temple started at shooting guard and responded by scoring 17 points, grabbing six rebound, adding four assists and two steals in 37-minutes of playing time. Temple shot 4-for-11 but went 3-for-6 from long range was a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line. He may be playing himself into the role of starting shooting guard
Kosta Koufos – another former Grizzly – may have played his best game of the year to date. He scored a season-high 16 points and made it a double-double by hauling in 13 rebounds. Seven of his rebounds were offensive boards that kept possessions alive. Koufos got his running baby hook shot going the way he likes for the first time this season in the game as well. The downside in his night was he hit just 2-of-6 from the foul line
DeMarcus Cousins had some struggles with the physical play of the Grizzlies particularly in the first half. He shot just 2-for-10 and scored only nine points in the first 24 minutes. In the second half, the big man shot 5-for-10 and scored 13 points to bring his total points to a game-high 22. Cousins did get into foul trouble picking up his fifth personal with 6:02 to go in the game. He fouled out of the game with 1:27 remaining which gave hope to a surging Memphis team
Darren Collison scored 11 points and dished out six assists in 37-minutes at point guard in the victory
Other contributions: Matt Barnes seven points and 10 rebounds; Anthony Tolliver nine points; Ben McLemore – who started at forward – scored eight and Ty Lawson added six points
Temple on the dribble-drive in Memphis photo: NBAE
Kings (10-16) team numbers were not great but were good enough for the win
Shooting: 31-for-80 (38.8- percent) – you do not record a win shooting under 40-percent very often
3-point shooting 7-for-24 (29.2-percent)
Free throw shooting 27-for-37 (73-percent) missed free throws could have cost the Kings this game
45 rebounds including 13 offensive boards
Turnovers 12 which led to nine Memphis points
Points off turnovers – Sacramento score 17 points off 13 Memphis turnovers
18 assists, six blocked shot and five steals
Memphis (18-10) played their typical “grind house” game
The Grizzlies are not a team that is going to outshoot you from 3-point land or overwhelm the opposition with their overall shooting percentage. They are a defense first team that is most comfortable scoring in the paint
Memphis matched the Kings scoring 36 points in the paint
The Grizzlies just edged out the Kings in second chance points 15-13
Memphis out-rebounded Sacramento 47-45
The Grizzlies shot 37.7-percent (29-for-77) from the field and 5-for-20 (20-percent) for 3-pointers and Troy Daniels hit four of those shots.
Memphis tried to take advantage of their free throw opportunities going 29-for-36 (80.6-percent) from the line
Marc Gasol led the Grizzlies scoring attack with 20 points. Tony Allen added 16, Troy Daniels put in 13 while Andrew Harrison recorded 11 to go with Zach Randolph’s 10
Koufos guards Gasol Photo: NBAE
Coming up on the schedule
The Kings move on to Dallas where they will face the Mavericks on Sunday. The game time has been changed because the Cowboys game has been moved to Sunday Night Football. The game will now tipoff at 1 p.m. PST. The Mavericks lost a heartbreaker to the Jazz in Utah on Friday night 103-100 on a last second 3-point basket.
Speaking of the Jazz, they travel to Memphis to play the Grizzlies on Sunday.
AP photo: Memphis Grizzlies forward Zach Randoph (50) drives on Golden State Warrior Ian Clark (2) as the Grizzlies won their sixth straight on Saturday night in Memphis
by Jerry Feitelberg
Memphis- The Memphis Grizzlies shut down the vaunted Golden State Warrior offense Saturday night in Memphis 110-89. The Grizzlies, under first-year head coach Dave Fizdale, won their sixth game in a row and improved to 17-8 for the season. The Warriors effort in the first half was the worst half of basketball so far this year. They scored just 38 points in the half. The Grizzlies, not a great offensive team, tallied 61 in the first 24 minutes of play and led by twenty-three. The Warriors only lead of the game early in the first quarter when Kevin Durant hit a three-point shot to put the Dubs ahead 3-2. Memphis outscored the Dubs 31-16 in the first quarter. The Warriors were obviously out of sync. Nothing worked for them. They couldn’t make shots, they couldn’t rebound, they kept turning the ball over, and they committed too many fouls.
The second quarter was more of the same. Memphis continued to benefit from the free throw line and the Dubs continued to turn the ball over. They trailed by twenty-three at the half 61-38. The Dubs shot a miserable 34% from the floor. Memphis shot 40.5%. The Grizzlies had twenty-seven free throw shots and made twenty-four of them. They scored seventeen points off turnovers, The Dubs had one point off a turnover in the half.
The Warriors tried to regroup to start the second half, but Memphis scored the first seven points and had the Dubs down by thirty. The Warriors did outscore Memphis in the third quarter by just one point and could not get back into the game. The best the Warriors could do was trail by seventeen, but it was evident that Memphis owned the game. Final score 110-89.
Game Notes- Three of the Warrior players were not available for action on Saturday. Starting center Zaza Pachulia had a wrist injury and was replaced by Anderson Varejao in the lineup. Super sub Andre Iguodala was given the night off by coach Kerr. Shaun Livingston, who did not play Thursday in Utah, was back in action. Kevon Looney had a sprained ankle.
Kevin Durant led the Dubs offense with twenty-one. Steph Curry had seventeen. No one else was in double figures for the Dubs. Klay Thomson had eight and Draymond Green added seven. The Dubs’ bench contributed twenty-five. The Grizzlies, on the other hand, had seven players in double figures. Marc Gasol, JaMychal Green, Trey Williams and Zach Randolph were the key playmakers for the Grizzlies. They outrebounded the Dubs they had more assists than Golden State and committed just ten turnovers in the game. The Warriors turned the ball over an astounding twenty-three times. The Warriors lost for the fourth time this year and drop to 20-4. They have to regroup and play better Sunday
The Warriors will play for the fourth time in five days Sunday night in Minnesota against the Timberwolves. Game time will be at 5 pm.
The Kings announced Monday that they have waived guard Jordan Farmar. Farmar was signed last week to help at point guard until Darren Collison is finished with his eight-game suspension. Collison is eligible to join the active roster tomorrow for the game versus the New Orleans Pelicans.
Farmar played two games for Sacramento averaging 6.0 points, 1.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. The 10-year NBA veteran played for Kings head coach Dave Joerger in Memphis for the final 10 regular season games and four playoff games last season.
Kings fans may have not seen the last of Farmar this season. Should injury or player movement create roster needs at guard, the Kings may well call on him again if Farmar is available.
According to reports that are being attributed to an anonymous source, the Sacramento Kings have signed veteran point guard Jordan Farmar to a one-year contract. David Pick who follows players from the USA who are playing in Europe was the first to report the signing. Farmar played in Turkey and in Israel before returning in the Spring for the end of the NBA season.
Farmar played the waning days of the 2015-16 season for Kings head coach Dave Joerger in Memphis. In 12 regular season games, he averaged 9.2 points, 3.1 assists and 1.3 steals in 24 minutes of playing time per game. Farmar started four playoff games for the Grizzlies as well.
The Kings were looking to add depth at the point guard position because of the uncertainty that surrounds the status of Darren Collison. Collison who pleaded guilty to misdemeanor domestic battery will face discipline and most likely time off from the NBA but that has yet to be announced. The Kings obviously believe the suspension will be long enough that a back-up to the recently signed Ty Lawson was needed.
Farmar is a nine-year NBA veteran who has played for the Lakers, Nets, Clippers and Grizzlies. He has averaged 7.7 points, 2.9 assists and 0.8 assists per game for his career. Farmar was a first-round draft selection (26th overall) in 2006. He played his college basketball at UCLA.
Farmar is known as a guard that can score and distribute the ball. Quickness has always been a hallmark of his game but at 29-years-old that quality may be a bit diminished. Farmar has very good leaping ability on defense.
by Charlie O. Mallonee
Sports Radio Service 