The last road trip of the season is not an ideal one for the Grizzlies, as they are visiting the two highest NBA cities in terms of elevation. The Grizzlies will wrap up their last road trip of the regular season as they visit the Denver Nuggets. MEMPHIS: Tyus Jones, Desmond Bane, Dillon Brooks, Jaren Jackson Jr., Steven AdamsĭENVER: Monte Morris, Austin Rivers, Will Barton, Aaron Gordon, Nikola Jokic (Out, spine), Vlatko Cancar (Out, foot), Zeke Nnaji (Out, knee) MEMPHIS: Dillon Brooks (Questionable, hip), Ja Morant (Out, knee), Tyrell Terry (Out, foot), Killian Tillie (Out, knee)ĭENVER: Jeff Green (Questionable, Personal), Jamal Murray (Out, knee), Michael Porter Jr.
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN: Bally Sports Southeast/92.9 FM ESPN MemphisīETTING INFORMATION ( per DraftKings ) - Memphis +3, O/U 232.5 With the Warriors heading towards a 20-plus-point lead, the Nuggets fell victim to some infighting.WHO: Memphis Grizzlies (55-24, 26-14 away) vs. Jokic, who had 26 points, 11 rebounds and 4 assists, was frustrated all game long. Shortly after, a Gary Payton II slap on the butt of Nikola Jokic set Jokic off, and Curry had to intervene. He and Aaron Gordon - who, if you can explain what his role is for Denver other than firing up the Warriors, please explain it - got into an early exchange heading into a timeout.
There was a really chirpy, get-under-your skin vibe early in this game that Green provided.
With Draymond Green stifling whoever you want to put at center, Andrew Wiggins picking up tons of the defensive slack from Curry and Poole and operating as the athletic, rangy slasher, plus the firebreathing trio, things can and have started to get out of hand without a warning.ĭraymond Green is everyone’s favorite player to love, or favorite player to hate, depending on who you’re rooting for. As a team, they shot a disrespectfully good 54.8 percent from the field and 42.5 percent from 3. At a moment’s notice, that lineup can ruin anyone’s day. That “put them out of their misery” vibe is back. It provided reminders of the dynasty, when Golden State could end any opponent in a five-minute stretch. They somehow built off that stretch, exploding for a 44-point third quarter that had everyone watching the game losing their collective minds. That four-point burst from Poole quickly became a 16-0 run and the Warriors, at one point down 12, finished the quarter on a 24-8 run to go up 57-51 at the half. Whatever corny nickname you want to give that lineup, it is a beast. Curry and Thompson checked in, aligning them with Poole, Wiggins and Green. Then, the lineup appeared for the first time. He promptly grabbed a steal and took an uncontested breakaway for another bucket. He snuck a behind-the-back pass in the post to a cutting Bjelica. They looked uninspired, like they were waking up from a nap that went a bit too long. It feels the tip of the iceburg.Īt one point in the second quarter, the Warriors trailed 43-31. This level of absurdity doesn’t feel like a one off. Nemanja Bjelica even did an Arvydas Sabonis impression with a behind-the-back fake into a post hook off glass.
This new brew is absurdly captivating you have Poole throwing behind-the-back pass after behind-the-back pass, launching from nonsensical angles, Thompson going on his scorched earth runs, Curry being himself and shimmying all over the court once again, Green agitating as much as humanly possible. It’s a blink and you might just miss it fervor, where each moment only increases in ridiculousness. When you’ve got Curry, Thompson and Poole all firing with unrelenting confidence, you start to find an energy that resembles just a bit of what used to exist in Oakland. And while Jordan Poole isn’t Kevin Durant, he is as prolific a scorer and as dynamic a facilitator as any player in the NBA right now.
The Warriors now have a three-headed monster once again. Not even the forced, artificial “Gold-Blooded” chants could put a damper on the atmosphere.
Even in the doldrums of the first and second quarter, there was a persistent, encouraging energy belying the optimism from the weekend’s series opener. It was a sleepy late afternoon game that the Warriors had secured fairly early on.īut when you see the arena in the rapturous state it found itself in on Monday night, you start to see the beginnings of the new chapter this team is beginning to write.įrom the outset, it was louder, more persistent. Perhaps it was unfair to criticize the atmosphere at Chase Center during Saturday night’s matinee. Their freshly-minted lineup of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins absolutely torched Denver en route to a 126-106 win. It’s still awfully early in these arduously long NBA playoffs, but the Warriors are giving the Denver Nuggets a brutal time.