SAN FRANCISCO — The reality of the Warriors’ roster means that, on nights one or more of their veteran stars gets a breather, their ability to win at less than full strength will play an imperative role in determining their position when the postseason comes around.
Golden State has looked mighty good when everyone is available, and on Monday night, the Warriors (3-1) notched their first win while missing a key piece.
Moses Moody heated up after halftime to score 20 points off the bench, while Jonathan Kuminga led four Golden State starters to finish in double figures, as the Warriors dispatched of the Memphis Grizzlies, 131-118. All the while, Al Horford watched from the bench in a beige sweatsuit.
The supporting cast delivered a better effort than on Friday in Portland, the Warriors’ first game without the 39-year-old Horford, which ended in a 139-119 loss despite getting 42 points from Steph Curry. The Warriors required only 16 points from Curry against the Grizzlies (2-2), his lowest scoring output of the young season.
Kuminga continued to fill the stat sheet with a 25-point, 10-rebound double-double. Brandin Podziemski poured in 23 points and six assists — both season highs — and Jimmy Butler contributed 20 points, five rebounds and five assists. Draymond Green, the lone starter who didn’t score in double figures, led the team with 10 assists.
“That’s how you get through the regular season,” Curry said.
After going big against the Blazers with Quinten Post as their fifth starter, Kerr opted to reinsert Podziemski into the starting lineup and was quickly rewarded. Podziemski sank an open 3-pointer on the Warriors’ first possession, assisted to Curry in transition and eventually finished with double the amount of dimes that he had totaled his first three games (three).
The Warriors assisted on 25 of their 31 baskets, including six from Green by the 6-minute mark of the first period as Golden State built a 25-15 advantage. The Grizzlies, however, mounted a 16-0 run against the Warriors’ reserves and ended the opening quarter leading 37-36.
The Warriors’ 36 points — which they also equaled in the third quarter — were the most they have scored in a quarter this season, but the 37 they allowed trailed only their worst defensive periods against Denver and Portland. The group buckled down to hold the Grizzlies to 8-of-24 from the field in the second quarter to go into halftime up 65-61 and limited Memphis to under 40% shooting from the end of the first onward.
The starting unit again built a 10-point lead during their shift early following halftime. This time, when Kerr went to his bench, the reserves didn’t let the lead evaporate — they built on it, led by Moody. The fifth-year shooting guard, who missed the first two games of the season with a calf strain, was a team-worst minus-12 at halftime but proceeded to make that up and more after intermission.
Moody entered the game with the Warriors leading by seven and connected on consecutive 3-pointers to push their advantage to 13, 88-75. He swiped the ball from Memphis big man Santi Aldama, passed to Curry and called for the ball back on the perimeter. Jaren Jackson Jr. fouled him attempting to contest the shot, and Moody sank all three free throws to push the Warriors’ lead back to 16.
The sequence ignited the arena to its loudest point of the night, aided by none other than Curry and Green. Curry flexed and summoned the 18,064 on hand to rise to their feet as Moody headed to the line. A possession earlier, Green began to incite the crowd after his hard foul on Aldama was upgraded to a Flagrant 1.
Aldama missed both free throws he was awarded, and Green celebrated by skipping around the paint as if he was riding a toy horse.
Up next
The Warriors will be back at full strength for the second half of their second back-to-back of the season as Horford is expected to return for their matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers. Tipoff at Chase Center is set for 8 p.m. in the first of a new era of some later starts.