Upon entering FedEx Forum on Tuesday, the Warriors will confront one of the NBA’s biggest curiosities in the Grizzlies. Yet even with the massive shakeup in Memphis, the axis remains unchanged.
Most of what the Grizzlies do still revolves around the dynamic talents of point guard Ja Morant.
Which leaves the Warriors with two paths to victory. They can try to contain Morant despite being without their best on-ball defender, or they can get enough production from their point guard, Stephen Curry, to offset what Morant gives Memphis.
Fifth place in the Western Conference will be at stake when Golden State (43-31) tips off against Memphis (44-31). Coverage on NBC Sports Bay Area begins at 4 p.m., with tipoff scheduled for shortly after 5.
The Warriors are favored largely because they’ve been a more stable operation, certainly of late. Their 18-5 record since adding Jimmy Butler III at the Feb. 6 trade deadline is second in the West and fourth in the NBA, and their 108.5 defensive rating tops the league.
The Grizzlies are 9-15 over that span, 20th in defense and 15th on offense. That slide led to the stunning dismissal of head coach Taylor Jenkins. Tuomas Iisalo – an assistant in his first season on an NBA bench – is the interim head coach.
Morant scored 44 points in his last game under Jenkins and averaged 31.3 over his last six games under his only NBA coach. In two games under Iisalo, Morant averaged 24 points, with a notable decline in free-throw attempts. The offense has changed, reducing his usage rate while still leaning into his gravity.
That change, however, still is a work in progress. Which leaves Memphis more vulnerable than it was the first half of the season.
And it’s something the Warriors will try to exploit. The less Morant has the ball, the more likely Golden State’s on-ball defense, led by Brandin Podziemski, has a ghost of a chance at keeping Ja from dominating. Regardless, Gary Payton II will be missed.
What will be interesting is how Memphis defends the 6-foot-3 Curry. He can expect the usual physicality, with impressive 6-foot-8 rookie Jaylen Wells getting the assignment. Curry scored only two points in 24 minutes in their previous matchup on Dec. 19.
That was Curry’s first look at Wells, so expect adjustments. That was before the Warriors added Butler, whose presence and playmaking bring a dimension that has benefited Curry.
Then, too, this is a chance for the Warriors to check one more box toward their goal of a top-six finish in the West that guarantees a berth in the playoffs.
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