Iguodala puts coach in his comfort zone

MEMPHIS — Warriors interim head coach Luke Walton calls sixth man Andre

Iguodala his “security blanket.”

“I feel safer when he’s on the court,” Walton said before Iguodala’s 20-point effort helped the Warriors beat Memphis on Wednesday.

Iguodala has been on the court a lot, having played at least 29 minutes in three of the Warriors’ past five games and on pace to log that amount of playing time in more than 45 games this season. He hit the 29-minute mark only 34 times last season.

The 31-year-old with knee tendinitis is averaging 9.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.6 steals. Walton has a staffer who charts consecutive minutes for all of the Warriors’ players and tries to max out Iguodala’s stints at about nine minutes.

“That’s kind of the most I want to play him, but sometimes I haven’t listened to that,” Walton said. “I’ve just left him out there, because I felt like we needed him out

there.”

League noticing Ezeli: Warriors center Festus Ezeli got his eighth consecutive start Wednesday and is averaging career highs in nearly every statistical category.

“He’s a good player, who is long and local. We’ve always loved him,” said Memphis head coach Dave Joerger, before joking, “We were hoping they’d get rid of him.”

Joerger noted the Vanderbilt alum’s knack for blocking shots both when defending on the ball and when coming from the help side. Ezeli’s 1.8 blocked shots per game double his previous career high.

Stirring memories: The Warriors were in Memphis for the first time since coming back from a 2-1 deficit against the Grizzlies in last season’s Western Conference semifinal.

“That was a huge moment for us,” Walton said. “… I think it took our confidence to another whole level, and we truly believed that we could win a championship.”

Stephen Curry’s perfect fling from three-quarters court in Game 6 will go down in Warriors lore, as will two events considered turning points in the series: the point guard’s golf round with Iguodala at a local course and his being coaxed out of his hotel room for a late-night dinner with teammates at Blues City Cafe on Beale Street.

“I missed (Blues City Cafe on Tuesday) night,” Curry said, “but we come back in April, so I’ll make sure I go then.”