Warriors drop 8th straight loss in Memphis
MEMPHIS >> Guard D’Angelo Russell’s return wasn’t enough to help the Golden State Warriors end their longest losing streak of what is on track to become their losingest season in 19 years.
With their 122-102 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday at the FedEx Forum, the Warriors (9-32) dropped their eighth straight game, surpassing their previous longest losing streak of the season.
After being sidelined the last six games with a right shoulder contusion, Russell returned and added some much-needed scoring to a team that entered Sunday with the worst-rated offense in the league. He scored 18 points in the first half, and his finger-roll layup through traffic gave Golden State a threepoint lead with less than five
minutes before halftime.
That didn’t last long, as the Grizzlies (18-22) — winners of five straight — uncorked a 35-17 third quarter that put the Warriors in a 20-point hole. Golden State’s offense unraveled, as center Willie Cauley-Stein’s pass to guard Jacob Evans was intercepted by guard Tyus Jones, who finished with a layup during the game-deciding run.
Russell finished with 34 points on 12-for-24 shooting (5-for-9 from 3-point range), seven rebounds and four assists. The Grizzlies were led by center Jonas Valanciunas, who tallied 31 points on 13-for-17 shooting and 19 rebounds.
Golden State was bullied by a large Grizzlies team, as Valanciunas’ nine offensive rebounds matched nearly the entire Warriors’ total of 12. In all, the Warriors were outscored 62-to-26 in the paint and outrebounded 60-to-47.
“No energy, no effort, no intensity, no nothing,” said Omari Spellman, who started his second straight game at center. “We’re just out there running. That’s it. And them being NBA basketball players, they hit us over the head.”
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has long called January the “dog days” of the season. In the past, his goal would be to get through those days healthy for a playoff run. Now, instead of getting through them unscathed, he is trying to make the most of them and continue to develop a young roster.
Each game adds to the sample size the organization will use to determine who can play a role next season, when Stephen Curry (left hand surgery) and Klay Thompson (left knee surgery) are healthy and the team returns to contention.
It took six years after the Warriors went 17-65 in the 2000-01 season for them to record a winning season. The rebuild won’t take so long for Golden State this time around, but the long view doesn’t make the dog days any more bearable.
“We’re halfway through,” Kerr said. “It’s been a tough first half of the season, but there’s a lot to play for.”