Curry and Durant are ejected in Warriors’ lackluster loss.
MEMPHIS — Frustrations boiled over with 43.6 seconds left in the Warriors’ 111-101 loss Saturday night to the Grizzlies. After a no-call on a drive to the rim, Stephen Curry — more prone to dancing than expletive-filled tirades — unleashed on official Scott Wall, tossed his mouth guard in disgust and was promptly ejected.
Kevin Durant, jawing at referees in Curry’s defense, also was kicked out. As they sauntered toward the visitors’ locker room, a sellout FedEx Forum crowd of 17,794 rained down boos. Durant, flanked by a team security guard, turned toward a group of fans and pointed to his ring finger.
“Man, it’s part of the game,” Durant said of reminding those Memphis supporters about Golden State’s recent NBA title. “It’s fun. They’re heckling us, call-
ing us names. It’s all in good fun. It’s nothing personal, nothing serious.”
Therein lies Golden State’s biggest takeaway from one of the more vexing nights of the Steve Kerr era: In the wake of a 1-2 start, the Warriors see no need to fret. Those inside the organization knew that earlyseason struggles were inevitable after a shortened preseason interrupted by a weeklong trip to China.
What most concerns head coach Kerr is that the joy that typically perpetuates Golden State’s locker room isn’t so common these days. Before the Warriors can return to their winning ways, they must recapture the fun that drives them.
“I’m not doing a great job of putting together combinations, finding the right ways to get guys going, to get some joy and laughter in here,” Kerr said. “It’s just one of those rough patches. Hopefully we can climb our way out of it. I’m sure we will.”
Though Memphis had two days to prepare for the defending NBA champions, Golden State was fresh off a draining 128-120 win Friday over New Orleans. It showed. The Warriors were slow to challenge shots as the Grizzlies rang up 31 first-quarter points. Often, even when they had gobs of space, Golden State missed jumpers.
It didn’t help that, for the second time in three games, Kerr was forced to adjust his rotation on the fly as Curry labored through early foul trouble. After Curry was whistled for his third foul midway through the second quarter, Kerr gambled and kept him in. Curry trudged to the bench less than two minutes later after picking up his fourth.
The Warriors totaled 28 fouls, with five apiece from Curry and Draymond Green. A training camp spent trying to perfect its passing hardly mattered on a night when Golden State committed 17 turnovers. Months removed from leading the NBA in defensive efficiency, the Warriors allowed Memphis to shoot 46.8 percent from the field.
Last season, Golden State would typically follow up a lackluster first half with a gamechanging third quarter. The Warriors’ mental lapses mounted Saturday, however, as the Grizzlies unleashed a 15-0 run midway through the third to take a 74-56 lead. It conjured memories of the 110-89 pummeling Memphis handed Golden State in December.
“That’s the thing, especially in this building, this team does a great job of keeping leads and holding on to leads,” said Durant, whose 29 points trailed Curry’s 37. “… We just couldn’t get over the hump. I’m glad we’re getting it out early, and hopefully we start rolling here soon.”
Several nagging issues — foul trouble, questionable passing, an uneven bench — have plagued the Warriors’ surprising start. Most disconcerting: Golden State has lacked the relentlessness that was a driving force behind the best threeyear run in NBA regular-season history.
With Green sidelined for the fourth quarter of Tuesday’s opener with a knee injury, the Warriors fumbled away a 13point lead and lost. Three nights later, in New Orleans, Golden State opened in a haze as they allowed 39 first-quarter points to the Pelicans. Though fatigue was surely a factor Saturday, the Warriors didn’t start matching Memphis’ emotion until it was too late.
Now both Curry and Durant could face discipline for their late-game indiscretion Saturday. Curry, who said he threw his mouthpiece out of frustration and not at Wall, admitted he expects his “pockets to be a lot lighter, for sure.”
The silver lining for Golden State? A three-game sample is hardly cause to sound the alarms.