The Warriors rediscovered the best of themselves Monday night in Memphis, and because they did, they are returning to Oracle Arena in favorable position.
They recovered homecourt advantage with a 101-84 victory over the Grizzlies in Game 4 to even the Western Conference semifinals at two games apiece.
With Stephen Curry scoring a game-high 33 points to lead the way, the Warriors silenced the FedEx Forum and served up a potent rebuttal those who thought the brawny Grizzlies – who won Games 2 and 3 – had taken control of the series.
Four other Warriors scored in double figures, as Draymond Green put in 16, Klay Thompson tossed in 15, Harrison Barnes 12 and Andre Iguodala 11 as the Warriors avoided their first three-game losing streak of the season.
The Warriors, once again committed 21 turnovers but this time neutralized their giveaways with defense, holding Memphis to 37.5-percent shooting 22.2 percent from deep.
Splash Brothers Curry and Thompson outscored the Memphis backcourt of Mike Conley and Courtney Lee 48-16. For that matter, Curry and Thompson also outscored the vaunted Smash Brothers, Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph, 48-31.
Gasol led Memphis scorers with 19 points.
STANDOUT PERFORMER:
That would be Mr. Curry, although he had plenty of help from his professional and personal wingman, Mr. Green.
In addition to leading all scorers, Curry tossed in 14 points (on 5-of-8 shooting) in the pivotal second quarter, when the Warriors outscored Memphis 33-24 and took a lead they never lost. He made 11-of-22 shots overall, 4-of-9 from beyond the arc.
Green was stellar in defending the Memphis big men but also was highly productive on his own, finishing with a team-high 10 rebounds and four assists, two steals and two blocked shots in addition to his scoring. That was enough, in this game, to offset his a whopping seven turnovers.
TURNING POINT:
Holding a 38-32 lead with eight minutes left in the second quarter, the Warriors went on a 14-5 run to go up 52-37 with 3:12 left in the half.
With a 61-44 lead at the half, the Warriors opened the third quarter with a 13-5 run to push the lead to 74-49 with 5:12 left in the quarter.
Memphis never got closer than 16 after that.
INJURY UPDATE:
Warriors: F Marreese Speights (strained right calf) and C Ognjen Kuzmic (sprained left ankle) were listed as out and placed on the inactive list.
Grizzlies: No injuries were listed prior to the game and none was reported in contest.
WHAT'S NEXT:
Game 5 is scheduled for Wednesday night at Oracle Arena, with Game 6 set for Friday night at FedEx Forum in Memphis.
