At home, in front of his people, receiving the Warriors… The scenario was perfect and Memphis rounded it off by achieving its 10th consecutive victory. It was a tough game, one of the level in which the Tennessee team showed that they are not much more reality than chance to defeat one of the best teams in the NBA.
As usual – we’ve gotten used to it – Ja Morant led the way for the Grizzlies with a great performance. His were 29 points and 8 assists. It was a great duel with Stephen Curry, who posted a triple-double of 27 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Both had their moment, but the final smile was drawn on Morant as he led his team to a 116-108 victory.
We live an encounter as broken at times as it is matched at others. Memphis started better, and proof of this is that midway through the second quarter they were up to 18 points up. Another night would have been enough for them to play with such an income to sail to victory, but Golden State is not a team that allows itself to be defeated by simplicity. Steve Kerr’s boys pressed and 12 minutes later they were the ones who dominated by eight (66-74). They seemed to have done the most difficult, but if they reacted earlier, Memphis was not going to be less. Taylor Jenkins’s boys evened the score and there was hardly any margin in favor of one or the other until they managed to take off nine points up with 3:34 minutes to play. The Warriors managed to get within three points, but the locals were not surprised.
(Photograph by Justin Ford/Getty Images)