Hell hath no fury like a Splash Brother scorned.
Stephen Curry went thermonuclear in Tuesday’s in-season tournament action — 37 points, 9 assists, 6 rebounds and five made 3s in a gripping win over Klay Thompson and the Dallas Mavericks.
Simply put, the Golden State Warriors are one of the best teams in basketball right now. They’re 9-2, third in offensive rating and fifth in defensive rating. But they face a formidable opponent in the 7-5 Memphis Grizzlies, who are holding their own in the Western Conference despite injuries to Ja Morant, Desmond Bane and GG Jackson II.
The Warriors are the clear favorites for Friday night’s NBA Cup matchup, but the Grizzlies have covered the spread in six of their last seven games.
Memphis Grizzlies at Golden State Warriors
Time: Friday, 10 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Streaming: Fubo (try for free)
How it stays close: Ja Morant’s hip injury is a massive bummer. But Scotty Pippen Jr. looks like the real deal. He’s averaging 14.1 points and 5.3 assists on 52.2 percent shooting over his last seven games. Even though the stats were run up against a dreadful Washington Wizards, Pippen and his dad became the first father-son duo to record a triple-double since Dolph and Danny Schayes.
The Grizzlies play with the NBA’s second-fastest pace under Taylor Jenkins. They are loaded with young players still cutting their teeth in the league. Zach Edey and Jay Huff have been surprisingly effective at the center spot, and Santi Aldama looks comfortable in the starting lineup. Five of Memphis’ major contributors are 24 or younger. They certainly have more to gain in Friday’s action.
How it breaks open: Well, the Warriors are very much not the Wizards. Steve Kerr’s squad is playing majestic basketball, and they’re brutally tough at home — where secondary options like Buddy Hield, Jonathan Kuminga and Andrew Wiggins get extra comfortable and overperform.
How it gets flavor: The gray Chase Center court will be aesthetically pleasing, and a welcome relief after last year’s copper and gold debacle. Kerr and Jenkins went at it from a distance during their 2022 playoff series — which featured three ejections in the first three games and a series of deleted social media posts. Then there’s the litany of agitations from Draymond Green to Jaren Jackson Jr. — the elbow to the face last season and the game-sealing block in those 2022 playoffs. The Michigan State alumni are friends outside of work but consistently get into it on the floor.
If there were a rivalry trophy, it would be: The Jerry West Bowl
Head-to-head scoring leaders:
- Steph Curry — 46 points vs. Grizzlies in 2021
- Ja Morant — 47 points vs. Warriors in 2022
Starting five to wear both jerseys (minimum 20 games with each):
G — Toney Douglas
G — Justin Holiday
F — Matt Barnes
F — Brian Cardinal
C — Marreesse Speights
Bench — Sam Mack, JaMychal Green, Brandan Wright (plus active players Kyle Anderson and De’Anthony Melton)
Grizzlies vs. Warriors Odds
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(Photo of Stephen Curry and Jaren Jackson Jr.: Justin Ford / Getty Images)
