The Golden State Warriors sure know how to douse hope.
Despite a disappointing 2-3 road trip, Golden State returned home without losing any ground. Entering Wednesday night’s game, the Warriors were still 3 ½ games back of the eighth and final playoff berth. They had just one loss more than Minnesota, current owner of the No. 8 seed.
So how did the Warriors respond? By getting blown out at home, 110-92 by a Memphis Grizzlies squad they’d played close the previous two meetings.
“We are running out of time, and it’s important for us to begin,” coach Mark Jackson said before the game. “We are playing much better basketball. … Ultimately, we are finding a rhythm, and it’s going to be crucial for us to put together a run.”
They failed miserably Wednesday.
Golden State (15-21) was subpar on both ends. Defensively, they allowed the Grizzlies to shoot 52.5 percent from the field. The tag-team of center Marc Gasol and power forward Marreese Speights hurt the Warriors all game, combining for 35 points on 13 of 21 shooting with 19 rebounds.
Memphis star Rudy Gay provided the knockout punch, scoring 10 of his game-high 26 in the fourth quarter to put the Warriors away.
Offensively, Golden State couldn’t keep up. Guard Monta Ellis, once again, had a tough time against Grizzlies’ defensive specialist Tony Allen. Ellis needed 19 shots to get 16 points. Forward David Lee managed just 11 points on 3-for-9 shooting.
Even with forward Dominic McGuire, not known for his offense, going 2 for 2, the Warriors’ starters were 14 for 38 shooting (36.8 percent).
Golden State got a boost from the bench. Guards Stephen Curry, swingman Klay Thompson and forward Brandon Rush combined for 42 points. They were key during a second-quarter run that erased a 17-point first-quarter deficit. A runner by Rush tied the game at 38.
Minutes later, a floater from Rush put Golden State ahead 46-42 with 4:44 left. But over the last 2:32 of the second quarter, Memphis made six straight shots to close the first half with a 12-4 run.
Golden State trailed 56-51 at the half. But they didn’t have another charge in them in the third quarter. A breakaway dunk by Gay put the Warriors down 69-58 with 7:40 left, and the Warriors never got closer than seven the rest of the way.
The Warriors missed a chance to get a streak going and have now lost three of their last four games.
“We are close,” Rush said before the game. “We still have a chance. There are still a lot of games left. We just have to get a streak going. We’re real close.”
– Jackson opted to keep McGuire in the starting lineup and bring Curry off the bench. Curry finished with 15 points, four rebounds and three assists in 24 minutes. In two games, a total of 33 minutes, he has 27 points on 12-for-18 shooting.
Jackson said Curry – playing his second game since being sidelined with a sprained right foot – is not fully recovered and wants to ease him back into action.
“He hasn’t practiced and quite honestly, isn’t 100 percent right now,” Jackson said. “So we want to be patient and smart about bringing him back.”
Curry sprained the deltoid ligament in his right foot back on Feb. 22. He missed the first four games after the All-Star break, save for a three-second stint as a decoy in a win over Atlanta. He returned to action Monday, totaling 12 points in nine minutes off the bench at Washington.
Jackson went the same route Monday. He brought Curry into the game with 6:28 left in the first quarter and the Warriors down 21-4.
By the time the first half ended, Curry had logged 14:31, totaling 11 points, three rebounds and two assists.
“I’m not going to play him 40 minutes,” Jackson said. “I think with the advantage of having two days off after tonight, we are going to use wisdom.”
Curry, who said he didn’t have any setbacks in that root foot after Monday’s game at Washington, seemed to have some pep in his step. He checked back in early in the second quarter, scoring five straight points – his 3-pointer cutting Memphis’ once-17-point lead to 35-33 with 9:22 left in the first half.
As was the case Monday, Curry spent most of his time at shooting guard with either Monta Ellis or Nate Robinson running the point. Curry has flourished as a scoring guard. In his first 24 minutes in that role, he totaled 23 points on 10 of 14 shooting.
– The Warriors trailed by as many as 17 points (21-4) in the first quarter before coming back to take the lead, marking the third straight game against the Grizzlies that a team has come back from down 17-or-more.
The Grizzlies overcame a 20-point deficit in their first meeting on Jan. 23, rallying for a fourth-quarter victory. The Warriors fought back from down 18 before eventually falling in the final seconds on Feb. 18.
