What was written as the Grizzlies blew out the mighty, Schröder’s first booty first appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
The Warriors rolled into Memphis on Wednesday looking for a chance to restart their season and were clearly devastated.
Their 144-93 loss to the Grizzlies at FedExForum was an all-out assault on the eyes and, in a basketball sense, well suited for everyone pulling the towel over all their disbelieving heads.
The power of the Warriors is expected to create for Dennis Schröder’s debut never materialized. They trailed by 22 after one quarter and got no closer than 31 in the second half.
Andrew Wiggins’ 19 points (in 21 minutes) and Brandin Podziemski’s team-high 21 are completely and precisely obscured by such shocking facts as Stephen Curry missing all seven of his field goal attempts, Draymond Green making the four turnovers and four fouls in 19 minutes and coach Steve Kerr didn’t throw a clip on the court.
The loss left Golden State, which has lost nine of its last 11 games, with a 14-12 record, while Memphis improved to 19-9.
Here are three observations from the night the Warriors couldn’t slow the Grizzlies down or find the bottom of the net with a telescope:
Schroder’s Nightmarish Debut
Schröder’s debut went about as badly as possible. The best we can say is that he didn’t do any obvious damage during his 22 minutes.
The newest member of the Warriors was in the lineup and open at point guard, giving Curry a chance to take the ball away, and he made his first shot, a midrange jumper that accounted for Golden State’s first bucket.
Schröder missed his next nine shots — before breaking midway through the third quarter — and committed three turnovers during that span. He finished with five points, five assists and four turnovers and a minus-34 for the evening.
It is not unfair to expect Schröder to make a splash immediately after the storm in five days. Him move from one coast to anotherTo a powerful team that is trying to play a different game than the Brooklyn Nets that took through the first eight weeks of the season.
But this is a dream that turns scary. Debut you will want to forget – if not immediately after the final buzzer.
The Sound of Early Defense Will Have to Stop
Despite all the talk about wanting to make an early statement on defense — as indicated by Green’s return to the lineup — the Warriors put up one of their worst starts of the season.
It’s not better than the last three out of four.
In less than four minutes, Golden State is down 11 (13-2). When Memphis closed the quarter with an 11-2 run (in less than two minutes), the Warriors went on a 37-15 run.
The defense was bad, and Golden State’s sloppy offense made it worse by committing eight turnovers that gave the Grizzlies 12 points as they shot 53.8 percent from the field, including 46.7 percent from deep while taking a 22-point lead into second quarter
The Warriors’ 15 points came on 4-of-23 (17.4 percent) shooting from the field, including 2-of-10 (20 percent) from beyond the arc. Aside from Wiggins’ nine points in eight minutes, Golden State’s first-half offense was more than ideal.
That, combined with a solid second half defense, is how the Warriors finished with 91 points, shooting 35.6 percent from the field, including 33.3 from deep.
Curry Again Below Your Standard
It can be anything that matters. Or it could be something worse.
Curry shot 0 of 7 from the field, including 0 of 6 from beyond the arc, and finished with two points, both on free throws in the second quarter.
While his 3-ball has been solid lately — 40 percent over his previous 18 games — the rest of his shooting has been completely uncharacteristic of his standard.
Curry’s 0 of 7 game follows nine consecutive games in which he shot below 50 percent from the field. This comes as the 36-year-old is dealing with injuries in both knees and, well, maybe some other ailments.
Kerr, trying to make life easier for Curry, decided to open the game with him playing the ball. It makes no difference.
Curry has never been one to cite injuries as an excuse; he hates to admit them. But this is, at least, about the stretch of basketball by the team’s touchstone. His last game with more than 30 points was Nov. 12, more than five weeks ago. He has scored more than 25 points in six of his last nine games.
The next several games should tell us if this is a temporary problem or something more troubling.
