Atoning for what he acknowledged was his worst game this season, Klay Thompson scored 30 points lead the Warriors to a 108-82 victory over the Grizzlies on Saturday night at the FedEx Forum in Memphis.
The win snapped the Warriors' nine-game losing streak at Memphis – and the overall 11-game skid to the Grizzlies.
Unlike their lethargic game in Houston, the Warriors came out aggressive from the beginning, playing superior defense, winning the rebounding battle and also outshooting the Grizzlies.
Thompson started fast, hitting five of his first six shots, scoring 11 points in the first seven minutes and 16 in the opening quarter. His urgency was no coincidence, not after an abysmal performance Friday night in Houston, where he was scoreless in the first half and finished with 5 points and three turnovers.
Stephen Curry also rebounded from a subpar performance, turning in 22 points and 15 assists, with only one turnover. He also eclipsed Jason Richardson as the franchise leader in 3-point field goals with 701.
The victory was the Warriors' first this season to come on the second night of back-to-back games.
STANDOUT PERFORMANCES
Thompson gets the game ball for this game, but he has to allow David Lee and Andrew Bogut to touch it. The big men, who came up so small against the Rockets, bounced back with active nights to control the paint.
Lee finished with 23 points and 11 rebounds, while Bogut added 8 points and 12 rebounds – and some seriously stifling defense against Grizzlies star Zach Randolph, who finished with 15 points on 6-of-13 shooting.
TURNING POINT
The Warriors (12-9) went on a 20-8 run over the first 8:45 of the second half, taking a 49-45 lead to 69-53 with 3:15 left in the third quarter. The lead remained at double digits the rest of the way.
Curry started the rally with a pair of 3-pointers and scored 10 points during that defining stretch.
INJURY UPDATE
Backup point guard Toney Douglas (stress reaction, left tibia) is on the trip but is listed as day to day. Forward Andre Iguodala (strained left hamstring) also is on the trip but did not dress and remains out.
WHAT'S NEXT
The Warriors wrap up the three-game road trip on Monday when they meet the Bobcats in Charlotte. The Warriors swept the two-game series last season. It's a homecoming for Curry, who grew up in Charlotte, where his father, former NBA player Dell, works on Bobcats broadcasts. It's something of a homecoming for Barnes, who attended North Carolina for two years.
