Warriors news: Dubs lose another player to injury, Green ties record, NBA Finals omen

Three nights after an emotional and thrilling victory over Klay Thompson and the Dallas Mavericks, the Golden State Warriors were back in action on Friday night, taking a 123-118 win over the Memphis Grizzlies.

Despite a slow start from Stephen Curry, who didn’t record a field goal until draining a three-pointer with 2:40 remaining in the second quarter, the Dubs used a balanced attack to take a seven-point lead into halftime and hung on for the five-point win, thus improving to 10-2 on the season.

Golden State also improved to 2-0 in the Emirates NBA Cup, taking the lead in West Group C with two games remaining in group play, those being road matchups with the New Orleans Pelicans (Nov. 22) and Denver Nuggets (Dec. 3).

As for Friday night’s matchup with Memphis, Curry ultimately scored just 13 points on 4-for-9 shooting, but his teammates picked up the slack with five additional Warriors reaching double figures.

Buddy Hield continued his strong season, leading Golden State with 18 points, shooting 7-for-15 from the floor and 4-for-8 from the three-point line. Moses Moody (14) and Brandin Podziemski (11) combined for 25 points off the bench, while starters Andrew Wiggins and Draymond Green kicked in 13 points each.

Jaren Jackson Jr. led the way for the Grizzles with 32 points on 11-for-20 shooting.

Warriors lose Lindy Waters III to a knee injury

With De’Anthony Melton out of action for the foreseeable future with a sprained ACL, Lindy Waters III took his place in the starting lineup at shooting guard.

It was a bit of a surprising move by Kerr, as Waters hadn’t seen a single second of action against either the Oklahoma City Thunder or the Mavericks, his last appearance coming in Golden State’s loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Nevertheless, Waters started strong, giving the Warriors their first five points and scoring eight points in 11 minutes, hitting three of four shots from the floor. But after blocking a shot with just under two minutes remaining in the first half, he hit the deck and was removed from the game. Waters was ultimately diagnosed with a hyperextended left knee and never returned.

Draymond Green matched a personal record against the Grizzlies

As mentioned, Draymond Green scored 13 points in Friday night’s victory, shooting 5-for-11 from the floor and 3-for-7 from beyond the arc.

This marks the third game this season in which Green has hit three triples, all of which have resulted in Golden State victories. Remarkably, the Warriors are now 55-7 all-time in games where he achieves this feat.

From an individual standpoint, Green, who was actually ejected on Friday night after picking up two technicals late in the fourth quarter for arguing foul calls, has now hit multiple three-pointers in four consecutive games, matching the longest streak of his career. While it’s only been 12 games, the four-time NBA All-Star is shooting a career-best 45.2% from distance this season.

Warriors have reached NBA Finals every time they’ve started 10-2 or better under Steve Kerr

Also as mentioned above, the Warriors improved to 10-2 with their win over the Grizzlies. And if recent history is any indication of things to come, it means Golden State is destined to reach the NBA Finals.

Since Kerr replaced Mark Jackson as head coach ahead of the 2014-15 season, there have been five previous instances in which the Warriors have started 10-2 or better in their first 12 games. And in all five instances, Golden State reached the NBA Finals, winning three of them.

After taking the weekend off, the Warriors will look to avenge one of their two losses this season on Monday night when they visit the Los Angeles Clippers.