OAKLAND — Round 4 of the boxing match that has become Warriors-Grizzlies went Golden State’s way 106-94 Sunday night at Oracle Arena.
The victory was the Warriors’ seventh in a row and it meant the team avoided losing a season series for the first time during the Steve Kerr tenure. The win also improved the team’s record to 59-14 with 9 games left to play in the regular season.
The Warriors cashed in Andre Iguodala’s best offensive performance of the regular season (20 points on 7-for-8 shooting). Iguodala was in double-figures by halftime and instead of serving as the calming force on offense — he was the offense. Late in the third quarter, Iguodala crossed up Mike Conley and piped a one-handed slam. He added another exclamation point dunk with 1:43 left in regulation, a good enough ending for fans to start streaming for the exits.
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The game featured 15 lead changes and just a two-point Warriors advantage at the end of the third quarter. The Grizzlies continued their knack for feasting on Golden State’s interior defense despite Marc Gasol sitting the game out with a sore left foot. Mike Conley scored 29 points and was cooking with his left hand. Ultimately, it wasn’t enough.
Klay Thompson was the one who began delivering knockout punches to the Grizzlies. The shooting guard hit two 3’s to begin the fourth quarter and led the Warriors in scoring with 31 points — 7-for-11 from behind the arc. The dagger came with 4:54 left to play, when Steph Curry caught a swing pass at the top of the key and fired a swish through the net. The Warriors took a comfortable 96-86 lead and coasted the rest of the way. Curry added two more 3’s late and finished with 21 points and 11 assists.
The Warriors closed the game using a combination of Shaun Livingston, Matt Barnes and David West in Kevin Durant’s usual spot. The trio of veterans are entirely different players, but are all proving to be interchangeable forwards Kerr can rely on late in the fourth quarter. Yes, Livingston has been defending the small forward position quite frequently on defense.
This was perhaps just the tuneup Golden State needed before heading south for a Texas two-step in Houston and San Antonio. The Rockets and Spurs have clearly been the second and third best teams in the Western Conference this season. James Harden is by many accounts the front-runner to win the MVP award and Kawhi Leonard is having the best offensive season of his career. The Rockets have beaten the Warriors once already this season and the Spurs have beaten Golden State twice.
Houston is first on deck Tuesday, followed by San Antonio Wednesday and the Rockets will return to Oracle Arena Friday to close the tilt.
