Jonathan Cumiga continued to be the Warriors’ hottest offensive player, scoring 15 of his game-high 29 points in the second quarter.
Stephen Curry, who was selected Thursday as a Western Conference All-Star reserve, had 20 points and six assists. Klay Thompson returned after missing one game due to illness and scored 14 points.
Brandin Podzimski had 12 points, seven rebounds and a career-high 14 assists. His assists are the most by any NBA rookie this season and the most by a Warriors rookie since Kai Bowman had 11 four years ago.
When the two teams met on Jan. 15, the short-handed Grizzlies couldn’t escape the perimeter and easily handled the Warriors, with Golden State taking control early Friday and maintaining a late-night lead.
The Grizzlies were again below full strength, but this time they didn’t get big plays off the bench like they did a few weeks ago. Gigi Jackson had 23 points on five 3-pointers with one point in 16 minutes in the Jan. 15 win at Memphis.
The Warriors (21-24) still had their defensive issues. The Grizzlies (18-31), who made 20 3s in the first game, again got open looks from the perimeter and shot 14 of 46 from beyond the arc.
The game was the first of five in seven days for Golden State, which is why coach Steve Kerr delved into his bench to give seldom-used players like Guy Santos and Lester Quinos some heat. Quinos had a career-high 10 points and six rebounds, while Santos had four.
Here are the takeaways from the Warriors’ 20-point win:
The length of Kumga has reached its maximum level
Kumga’s increased scoring over the past month has been a nice addition to Golden State’s offense. The Warriors have been looking for a more consistent scorer for Curry all season, as 21-year-old forwards Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins continue to be up and down.
Kuminga, who also had six rebounds, has now scored in 25 straight games in double figures and has scored 20 or more in the last eight games. Monta Ellis is the longest double-digit hitter by a Golden State player under the age of 22 since he hit 48 consecutive games during the 2007-08 NBA season.
The way JK has been playing has silenced much of the criticism that followed him throughout the early stages of his career. As the trade deadline nears, owner Joe Lacob shows why he’s not interested in parting ways with the event.
Kerr’s frustration was over.
For weeks now – and maybe even longer – Kerr has been complaining about the lack of calls going Curry’s way. Kerr’s anger got the best of him after he saw the two-time NBA MVP get slammed in the head in the first quarter. He went to court to file a complaint and was quickly slapped with a technical foul.
Kerr mentioned the inconsistencies he’s seen regarding calls going Curry’s way this season, and he has the facts to back it up.
While Curry is most famous for his 3-point prowess, he goes hard on the hoop count and should be taking more fouls than he is. Entering the game against the Grizzlies, Curry led the NBA in free throw percentage but averaged 5.5 attempts per game, 28th overall and eighth-fewest among point guards. Friday, he went 4-for-4 from the stripe.
Where did Sarik’s minutes go?
With Dario Saric absent and currently not with the team on a road trip due to illness, Kerr has been a little creative with how to share the minutes the veteran big man gets.
The first to fill Saric’s shoes is Trace Jackson-Davis, who has seen his playing time drop significantly over the past two weeks. The rookie finished with five points in nine minutes.
Santos took to the floor to help fill the gap. The Warriors’ 2022 second-round draft pick, who played in just six games earlier this season, made both shots and went plus-five in 10:46 minutes.
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