The Golden State Warriors were facing an impossible task in Chase Center on Saturday night: to beat the third-best team in the West without their leader and best player, Stephen Curry. But despite the overwhelming odds, the Warriors were able to defend their home court for their 18th win of the season.
Having met in the playoffs before, these two teams have a pretty extensive history and it showed tonight in the form of a hard-fought, intense showdown. Both teams went back and forth all night, trading runs until the fourth quarter when the Warriors could finally pull away. Curry was a scratch from the game due to a bilateral knee injury and while they missed his game tonight, others stepped up to provide what was needed.
Andrew Wiggins was tonight's MVP with 24 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds, and 4 steals on 9-17 shooting. Dennis Schroder dropped 17 points, 9 assists, and 3 rebounds in 36 minutes while Lindy Waters III contributed 16 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists on 6-7 shooting.
For the Grizzlies, Jaren Jackson Jr. led the way with 23 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals on 11-21 shooting. In the backcourt, Desmond Bane finished with 22 points, 10 assists, and 4 rebounds in 35 minutes of play. Off the bench, Jake LaRavia dropped 17 points, 10 assists, and 4 rebounds on 5-8 shooting.
The Western Conference is deeper than ever and even though they are far apart in the standings, the Grizzlies and Warriors aren't that different when it comes to depth, talent, and potential to make a run this season. In this game, we saw why the Warriors are a threat to any team in the West, even without Steph to save the day.
New Arrivals Prove Their Worth
It's no secret that the core of Stephen Curry and Draymond Green aren't quite as young and durable as they used to be. Fortunately, the Warriors have made some moves to add some depth and support around their stars in the form of high-value role players like Buddy Hield, Kyle Anderson, and Dennis Schroder.
Without Curry, the Warriors need someone to step up tonight and multiple players were able to help make up the difference in his absence. Specifically, it's Buddy Hield and Dennis Schroder who kept the Warriors in control of the game, combining for 31 points in the backcourt.
With everyone hitting their shots, the Warriors shot 52.4% from the field and if they can get that kind of shooting from the role players on a nightly basis, it will set the Warriors up for a major rise in the Western Conference.
Offense Is Clicking
Between this game and the win against the 76ers, the Warriors are undefeated in the New Year thanks to a simmering offense that is operating at maximum efficiency. Tonight was also the second straight game in which they scored over 120 points (139 on Thursday).
The big difference for the Warriors is that their threes are falling. As the 17th-best offense in the league right now, the Warriors haven't been great on that end, even with Curry averaging 22.3 points, 6.5 assists, and 4.8 rebounds per game on 44.7% shooting.
Tonight, however, eight different players hit from beyond the arc, including Buddy Hield and Lindy Waters III, who combined to go 8-12 from three. The Warriors went 23-43 from the perimeter (53.5%) as a team, and the Grizzlies couldn't keep up. When Steph gets back, the offense should get even more potent.
Andrew Wiggins In All-Star Form
Over the past few years, Andrew Wiggins has struggled to find a rhythm on the court as he's dealt with serious family issues behind the scenes. This season, the Warriors are being rewarded for their patience with a major resurgence that has Wiggins as one of their top performers.
Tonight, sans Curry, Wiggs stepped up to lead the offense with 24 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 4 steals on 9-17 shooting. He was aggressive throughout the game and the Warriors made sure to set him up for easy looks.
Normally, without Steph, the Warriors are completely cooked without a chance to win the game. But with a true secondary star like Wiggins, the Warriors might be able to hold their own when Curry misses time. More importantly, it will give them another threat to challenge opposing defenses and alleviate pressure off the veteran stars.
Of course, the Warriors still have a lot of work to be done this season. This win puts them at just two games above .500, good enough for 8th in the Western Conference. When Steph returns, they'll have an uphill battle ahead to move back up the standings and secure a top-six seed.
The next game for the Warriors is on January 5th at Chase Center against the Sacramento Kings. On January 7th, they play the Miami Heat at home (10:00 PM EST) before heading to Little Caesars Arena for a game against the Detroit Pistons at 7:00 PM EST.
