The Golden State Warriors continued their strong start to the season on Friday night, beating the Memphis Grizzlies 123-118 to improve to 10-2, and to take over first place of West Group C in the 2024 Emirates NBA Cup in-season tournament.
It was a game that wasn’t nearly as close as the final score, but Memphis erased most of a 24-point Warriors lead once the outcome had been decided, which they were incentivized to do since the NBA Cup uses point differential as a tiebreaker. It was also a balanced game for the Dubs, with six different players scoring in double figures, and no one scoring 20 points.
Now let’s grade the players. As always, grades are based on my expectations for each player, with a “B” grade representing the average performance for that player.
Note: True-shooting percentage (TS) is a scoring efficiency metric that accounts for threes and free throws. Entering Friday’s games, league-average TS was 57.4%.
Draymond Green
30 minutes, 13 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 1 turnover, 3 fouls, 5-for-11 shooting, 3-for-7 threes, 59.1% TS, +6
Just a vintage Draymond game, with his new-found three-point stroke sprinkled in.
He flirted with a triple-double, took care of the basketball, quarterbacked the offense and defense, and was a disruptive defender.
He also picked up his first ejection of the year, and I almost want to give him credit for having it occur during a game that was already decided.
Grade: A-
Post-game bonus: Led the team in assists, tied for the team lead in rebounds.
Lindy Waters III
11 minutes, 8 points, 1 assist, 1 block, 1 turnover, 1 foul, 3-for-4 shooting, 2-for-3 threes, 100.0% TS, +3
In a very Steve Kerr move, Waters, who had otherwise been out of the rotation, was inserted into the starting lineup to both replace De’Anthony Melton and keep the bench rotations intact.
He got off to a tough start, fouling a three-point shooter for the first points of the game, but then he recovered and excelled, scoring the Warriors’ first five points and having a hyper-efficient night. Unfortunately, he also landed awkwardly while blocking a shot in the second quarter, and injured his knee. He didn’t return.
Grade: A-
Trayce Jackson-Davis
18 minutes, 9 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 2 turnovers, 2 fouls, 3-for-5 shooting, 3-for-4 free throws, 66.6% TS, -1
A lot to like from TJD in this game, including the fact that he bounced back from a rough free throw performance on Tuesday to have a strong game at the charity stripe. He’s really been increasing his aggression on both ends of the court lately, and it’s paying dividends, even if there are also some growing pains along the way.
Grade: B+
Andrew Wiggins
21 minutes, 13 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block, 2 fouls, 5-for-15 shooting, 1-for-4 threes, 2-for-2 free throws, 40.9% TS, +4
Not a very good night for Wiggins, who has otherwise had a sensational start to the year. He just didn’t seem quite as engaged on either end of the court in this game, though he had a really nice stretch in the first quarter. There just wasn’t a lot of aggression on offense or on defense, and he struggled shooting the ball.
Grade: C
Steph Curry
26 minutes, 13 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals, 3 turnovers, 2 fouls, 4-for-9 shooting, 3-for-7 threes, 2-for-2 free throws, 65.8% TS, +9
If you’re still one of those absurd people who thinks Curry is just a shooter, well … this game was for you. Curry only took nine shots all night, but it felt like he completely controlled the game. He set up his teammates, used his gravity to his advantage, and played strong defense while crashing the glass repeatedly.
It’s not often that Curry will only have 13 points, but it’s hard to fault his game at all in this one.
Grade: A-
Post-game bonus: Tied for the team lead in rebounds, best plus/minus on the team.
Jonathan Kuminga
18 minutes, 8 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 turnover, 5 fouls, 3-for-13 shooting, 0-for-4 threes, 2-for-4 free throws, 27.1% TS, +2
A pretty tough game for Kuminga. He did some good things early, but the shots didn’t fall, and after that he started settling for some poor shots. There were too many attempts from beyond the arc, and not enough displays of his explosive attacks on the rim. On defense, he settled for reaching far too often.
Grade: D+
Kevon Looney
13 minutes, 6 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 turnover, 2 fouls, 2-for-3 shooting, 2-for-4 free throws, 63.0% TS, +4
The presence of 7’4 Zach Edey was made easier for the Warriors to handle thanks to Looney, who continues to play bigger than he is, while also consistently making the right pass on offense.
Grade: A-
Kyle Anderson
19 minutes, 8 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks, 1 turnover, 3 fouls, 3-for-7 shooting, 2-for-3 threes, 57.1% TS, +6
It was great seeing Anderson back on the court after he was a late scratch on Tuesday with neck spasms. And it was really great to see him knocking down some threes.
A perfectly balanced game for Anderson, who did his best Draymond impression. It’s kind of staggering how many players the team currently has who just seem to always make the right decision and do a little bit of everything.
Grade: A-
Buddy Hield
30 minutes, 18 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 5 turnovers, 4 fouls, 7-for-15 shooting, 4-for-8 threes, 60.0% TS, -2
I’m not entirely sure how to field about Hield’s game. On the one hand, he gave the team an instant burst of offense, which was very much needed, and he did so efficiently. On the other hand, he played a bit out of control for much of the night, as evidenced by the five turnovers and four fouls.
Still, he got heavy playing time for a reason. The Dubs needed the injection of offense, and that’s exactly what he gave them.
Grade: B
Post-game bonus: Led the team in points.
Gary Payton II
11 minutes, 2 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal, 2 turnovers, 1-for-2 shooting, 0-for-1 threes, 50.0% TS, -6
It’s a testament to the different looks the Warriors can throw at teams that Payton was the first sub off the bench … and replaced Jackson-Davis. He fits better in this matchup when Ja Morant is playing, as Payton can give him some fits on the perimeter. Is is, it wasn’t really a game where his presence was felt.
Grade: C
Post-game bonus: Worst plus/minus on the team.
Moses Moody
16 minutes, 14 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 turnovers, 2 fouls, 4-for-8 shooting, 3-for-5 threes, 3-for-5 free throws, 68.6% TS, +2
Moody hadn’t felt like much of a factor the last few games, but he played really well in this contest. He’s a player who doesn’t need to score to be effective, yet he piled in the points in this game, and finished as the team’s second-leading scorer, in just 16 minutes of action. It was his usual steady and solid performance.
Grade: A-
Brandin Pod Ziemia
28 minutes, 11 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 2 fouls, 3-for-6 shooting, 1-for-4 threes, 4-for-4 free throws, 70.9% TS, -2
After a few games in which he was really struggling, Podziemski broke out in this game with a fantastic performance. He was all over the court, seemingly deflecting every pass, scooping up every loose ball, and getting a hand on every rebound.
And he had one of the best passes you’ll see this year.
Good things just seem to happen when Podz is on the court.
Grade: A
Friday’s DNPs: Pat Spencer
Friday’s inactives: Reece Beekman, De'Anthony Melton, Quinten Post
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