What we learned as Dubs' road woes continue in loss to Grizzlies originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
Steph Curry is back, but the Warriors aren't.
Curry scored 29 points on 10-of-19 shooting from the field and 4 of 8 on 3-point attempts. He also added seven rebounds, four assists and a steal. Those stats churned out yet another losing effort.
After digging a double-digit hole in the first half for the seventh straight game, the Warriors lost 131-110 to the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday night at FedExForum. They fell to 34-33 on the season, and 7-26 on the road.
The defending NBA champions have lost eight straight road games and three games in a row after completing a perfect 5-0 homestand. Golden State is on the verge of falling back into the play-in tournament, with two huge games on the horizon against the Milwaukee Bucks and the Phoenix Suns.
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The Warriors' defense stayed home in San Francisco, allowing 48 points in the first quarter. They hadn't allowed 48 points in a first quarter since 1983, and that's the most they have given up in a quarter in the Steve Kerr era. Over the last three first quarters, they gave up an average of 40.3 points.
Here are three takeaways from a disappointing blowout loss to the Grizzlies.
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Too Small
We've seen a handful of three-guard lineups this season. Steve Kerr opted to go even smaller Thursday in Memphis. With Jonathan Kuminga unable to play due to rolling his right ankle during warm-ups, Kerr started Steph Curry, Jordan Poole, Donte DiVincenzo, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.
The experiment didn't work, at all.
That group played a little over five minutes in the first quarter and were outscored 24-12. By halftime, their plus/minus numbers were an eye-sore. Poole was a minus-32, followed by minus-25 from Thompson and a minus-22 for DiVincenzo before the numbers started looking somewhat normal.
Curry was a minus-5, scoring 19 points with five rebounds and three assists. Green was a minus-4 with eight points, five assists and three rebounds. The Warriors trailed by 18 points.
Kevon Looney then started the second half in place of DiVincenzo. Making that move paid off. The Warriors raced to a 13-2 run to start the third quarter, and outscored the Grizzlies 33-22 in the period. For the umpteenth time this season, it was too little, too late.
Donte's Day To Forget
DiVincenzo this season hasn't only been a steal for the Warriors, he has been one of the best bargain buys in all of the NBA. He's shooting better than ever, has displayed his versatility and fits the Warriors perfectly. Every player has a day to forget, though.
This was one for DiVincenzo.
He played 21 minutes and was a minus-25. DiVincenzo scored two points, going 1 of 5 overall and miss all four of his threes. In reality, this was his second straight rough performance.
The wing was a minus-10 Tuesday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder. He scored seven points, going 2 of 8 from the field and 1 of 6 from deep in the loss, along with five fouls and three turnovers.
Was the loss on DiVincenzo's shoulders? Not at all. This is a two-game sample, and it won't make Kerr lose confidence. However, DiVincenzo will be happy to fly back to San Francisco and put these two games behind him.
Bad Blood
Dillon Brooks tried. Draymond kept his cool. Social media loved every second of it.
With 15 technical fouls, one away from a one-game suspension, Green wasn't going to take the bait. Here's the surprise. Curry was the one jawing with Brooks as much as anybody else.
The lone technical foul wasn't called on any of the big names. JaMychal Green instead earned the honor. Battling on the blocks during free throws, Green swung his left elbow twice, catching Santi Aldama on the jaw and was called for a tech.
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These two teams won't have to wait long to see each other again. Their next contest is only nine days away, again in Memphis, on March 18. Get your popcorn ready.
