The Memphis Grizzlies and Golden State Warriors get their first opportunity to show off their new look to one another when the Western Conference rivals meet in an NBA Cup game Friday night in San Francisco.
The Grizzlies will be making their first NBA Cup appearance of the season, while the Warriors will be seeking a second consecutive home win in West Group C play of the in-season event, having rallied to beat the Dallas Mavericks 120-117 in Klay Thompson’s return to San Francisco on Tuesday.
Memphis will once again be without injured Ja Morant (hip) and GG Jackson II (foot), and Desmond Bane (oblique) is questionable to return after a seven-game absence.
The Grizzlies did get Marcus Smart back for their 128-123 road loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday. Smart had 15 points and six assists in 23 minutes off the bench after missing six games.
The injury issues haven’t stopped the Grizzlies from running up big numbers this year. They have gone for 131, 128, 134 and 123 points in their past four games, winning three of them.
Unfortunately for the Grizzlies, they gave up a season-high-tying 128 points against the Lakers, including 38 while falling behind by as many as 13 in the first quarter.
“Love the fight, but you can’t give up 40 (actually 38) points in the first quarter on the road,” Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins said. “We found our groove in the second and third quarter, but …
“This is a learning opportunity. We’ve got to come out a lot better in the first quarter on the road.”
In the Warriors, Memphis will see a team that now features two familiar faces — De’Anthony Melton and Kyle Anderson — both of whom played for the Grizzlies when they took Golden State to six games in the Western Conference semifinals in 2022.
The Grizzlies will not have to face Melton, however, after the Warriors announced Thursday that the guard sprained his left ACL in the Tuesday win. He will receive additional testing to determine how much time he may miss.
Melton’s injury is a significant blow given his recent strong play. After returning from a back injury, Melton had his first Golden State double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds in a win at Oklahoma City on Sunday, then contributed 14 points to the Tuesday victory over the Mavericks.
Melton is averaging 10.3 points in 20.2 minutes while shooting 40.7 percent from the field over six games (two starts) this season.
“He’s obviously a really important player for us and is a guy who we envisioned as, and has done a good job at, the starting 2-guard,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “It’s a concern, for sure. We’ll know more over the next few days.”
Kerr did not specify who would replace Melton in the starting lineup. Buddy Hield (17.6 points per game, second on team) and Jonathan Kuminga (14.7 points per game, tied for third) are two candidates.
Like the Grizzlies, the Warriors have stepped up the scoring pace this season. The 120 points they scored against Dallas marked their seventh contest of 120 or more this season. Golden State has gone 7-0 in those games.
–Field Level Media
