SAN FRANCISCO – Over the course of an 82-game NBA season, there are bound to be nights when winning is secondary to survival.
The Warriors and Memphis Grizzlies played such a game Friday night at Chase Center, and Golden State’s 123-118 victory was as much about its perseverance and ability to absorb punishment as outplaying the opponent.
Everything was a struggle. For both teams. The paint was a dark alley between mean streets. The action, with three- and four-man scrums, countless collisions and bodies bouncing off the floor, became a test of wills and composure.
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One clue to the grotesque nature of this game is that by the fourth quarter things devolved into full-blown rugby activity. The teams combined for 49 free throws in the second half, 21 for the Warriors and 29 for the Grizzlies.
Kerr declined to address the officiating, but found an avenue with which he could comfortably express his displeasure.
“It was just kind of disgusting,” coach Steve Kerr said, his ire barely submerged. “The last quarter-and-a-half was disgusting. I felt bad for our fans having to watch what transpired.
“But great win. We’ll take the win and move forward.”
Golden State Warriors
Another clue to the choppy atmosphere is that six Warriors scored in double figures, topped by Buddy Hield’s 18 points. Moses Moody had 14 and Stephen Curry finished with 13, as did Andrew Wiggins and Green. Brandin Podziemski added 11. The scoring was as scattered as the game.
“We got the win, and that’s all that matters,” said Green, who also declined to discuss officials but did say he neither received nor needed an explanation for the second technical foul that led to his ejection with 1:14 remaining.
Lindy Waters III got his second start of the season and didn’t make it out of the first half. After rising to block a layup attempt by Memphis forward Santi Aldama, Waters landed awkwardly on his left leg. He remained on the floor for about a minute before being helped up limping into the locker room with what was diagnosed as a hyperextended left knee.
The officiating crew – chief Bill Kennedy, referee Brian Forte, umpire Andy Nagy – was relatively restrained with the whistles until the fourth quarter. The only conduct-based technical fouls were called on Green inside the final two minutes.
By that time, Green had endured quite the war. He was knocked to the floor in transition, which officials whistled as a common foul. Minutes later, when Draymond took an elbow to the chin, he was whistled for the foul. He urged Kerr to challenge the call. He did. Upon review, it was reversed.
Memphis star Jaren Jackson Jr. hit the floor no fewer than four times, with one resulting in him writhing in pain for about 15 seconds. He stayed in the game, finishing with a game-high 32 points, including 10-of-11 shooting from the line.
“They’re a very physical team, and we matched their physicality,” Kerr said. “And that was an important part of the win.”
Dillon Brooks, the NBA’s most fiercely determined firebrand, left Memphis 16 months ago, but it was evident his antagonistic legacy remains. The Grizzlies are pugnacious enough without him. Then, too, there is some blood-spattered history between these teams.
You may recall the 2022 Western Conference semifinals. It went six games, and there was enough tumult to embitter both locker rooms. Kerr’s famously said Brooks “broke the code” in Game 2 with his flagrant 2 foul – and automatic ejection – after hitting an airborne Gary Payton II, who sustained a fractured elbow. Brooks was suspended for Game 3.
This game suggested some of that acrimony lingers.
The Warriors endured and came out mostly in one piece. They’ll take it because it puts them at 10-2. And this W, coming as it did, indicates that they are a relatively small bunch of men but tougher than they look.