The Golden State Warriors appeared firmly in control on Friday night, leading by 12 with 3:47 remaining after a corner 3 from De'Anthony Melton. Then, in the final four minutes, "pretty much everything went wrong." The Memphis Grizzlies rallied from 12 points down to win 111-108, capped by a 17-0 run.
Stephen Curry started the slide, fouling Jaylen Wells on a made 3 that gave Memphis four quick points. Curry, Draymond Green, Yaxel Lendeborg and Brandin Podziemski then missed four straight shots over 80 seconds. Second overall pick Cameron Boozer took over, powering through Lendeborg and Melton to earn and hit four free throws. Ty Jerome drilled a corner 3 to pull Memphis within one, and Jaylen Wells tied the game at the free-throw line with 54.7 seconds left.
Boozer sealed it with a nine-footer that gave the Grizzlies a 108-106 lead. Golden State never had a real chance to tie. On the next possession, Green was called for an illegal screen near halfcourt, and Steve Kerr received a technical foul after protesting. Memphis made the three free throws, completing the run. It was the second-longest fourth-quarter run by an opponent in the Kerr era, according to ESPN Research.
Kerr said the collapse was "an avalanche" and that eight things had to go wrong for the Warriors to lose. The defeat came two nights after an embarrassing road loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, and Golden State is now dealing with injuries to Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody. The Warriors play in Phoenix on Saturday, where Curry is expected to rest and Podziemski is sidelined with back soreness.
Source: ESPN NBA · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing