Key Takeaways From Warriors-Grizzlies Christmas Day Game
Winning the 2022 NBA Finals for their fourth championship in the last eight seasons, the Golden State Warriors have not looked like the Warriors we are accustomed to seeing and on Christmas Day, they drew a tough match up against the Memphis Grizzlies, one of the top teams in the entire league.
Entering this game with a 15-18 record, the Warriors were also without both Stephen Curry and Andrew Wiggins. However, there is just something about being home in Chase Center for big games that brings out the best in the Warriors, even their second-unit guys who have not been the most productive as of late!
Jaren Jackson Jr. made the first basket of this game for Memphis, giving them a 2-0 lead to begin things, but from that point on, Golden State proved why they are the defending champions and even without two of their All-Star talents, they dominated one of the best teams in the league.
The Warriors, a significantly smaller team than the Grizzlies, outrebounded Memphis 51-44, they limited their turnovers to just 12 and the Warriors outscored the Grizzlies by 27 points from three-point range, shooting 18-44 (40.9%) as a team.
Jordan Poole had 32 points on 11-25 shooting before picking up two technical fouls and Klay Thompson had 24 points, but the story in this one was the Warriors’ bench stepping up to score 42 points, led by Ty Jerome with 14 points.
Ja Morant had 36 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists for Memphis, but the Warriors held the Grizzlies silent most of the night offensively, as their next highest scorers were Dillon Brooks and Tyus Jones with 13 points each.
They locked in defensively, they played with energy and most of all, the Warriors did not turn the ball over, which led them to a massive 123-109 victory over the Grizzlies at home.
Golden State still has a lot of work to do in order to get back to their championship standards, but this game is absolutely the type of win that can propel a team like the Warriors from a confidence standpoint.
This was a thrilling game filled with trash talking for all 48 minutes and here are the biggest takeaways from the Warriors’ win over the Grizzlies.
Golden State Shows Up In Big Games… Especially At Home
There really is no explaining the Golden State Warriors this season simply because head coach Steve Kerr does not have an answer either!
Who knows whether this is “championship hangover” or something else, but the Warriors have not been dominant this season and they have really struggled on the road, posting just a 3-16 record away from Chase Center.
However, when they are in San Francisco, they look like the dynasty that they are, as this win over the Grizzlies moves them to 13-2 at home on the season.
Not to mention, the Warriors live for these big games against the best-of-the-best or games on holidays.
They’ve beaten Cleveland at home, they beat Boston at home earlier this month and their win over Toronto last week was no pushover either!
Again, the Warriors still have a lot of work to do in order to get back to the NBA Finals this season and potentially defend their championship, but they give it their all at home and against the best-of-the-best like the Grizzlies, Golden State locks in.
Their next “big game” will be against Phoenix on January 10 and that game will be in Chase Center as well, so it will be interesting to see if the Warriors once again use their home crowd and that “big game energy” to their advantage.
Donte DiVincenzo Continues To Prove His Value
With Curry and Wiggins out, Jordan Poole and some second-unit guys have stepped up and played some big minutes but Donte DiVincenzo is really beginning to find his footing with this franchise, which is terrific news for the Warriors
Over his last five games, DiVincenzo is averaging 14.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.0 assists while shooting 39.1 percent from three-point range.
He can guard multiple positions and due to his athleticism, DiVincenzo plays well above his size, especially when attacking the glass for rebounds.
The extra effort DiVincenzo gives the Warriors has allowed them to find a little bit of success with Curry and Wiggins out of the lineup right now and when they are fully-healthy, Donte DiVincenzo will be yet another spark they can bring into the game off-the-bench alongside Jordan Poole.
He’s a proven three-point shooter, he moves well off-the-ball and DiVincenzo is not afraid of big moments, which is why he fits this team’s championship DNA perfectly.
No matter how long Stephen Curry or Andrew Wiggins are sidelined, Donte DiVicnenzo’s production for this team is extremely valuable long-term.
Grizzlies Show Weakness In Their Youth And Mindset
The Memphis Grizzlies are a terrific team with championship aspirations, do not get me wrong on that, but they are still a young team and when things were not going their way against the Warriors, they began to break down and constantly complain, taking them out of rhythm and changing their mindset since they are not used to trailing.
This was something that affected the Grizzlies in the playoffs last year and quite honestly, this is something that Golden State, a proven, veteran team, is going to look to expose them for.
As for the Warriors, they do have some young pieces that they are leaning on right now, but overall, they are an experienced team with championship leaders that are constantly keeping things going in the right direction with a “next play” mentality.
Now, this is not to say that the Warriors do not complain because they have done quite a bit of that throughout the season, but in the case of the Grizzlies, they are not a proven team that necessarily knows how to bounce-back from a busted coverage defensively or a bad call from the referees.
The Grizzlies will win a ton of games this season and it should not come as a shock to see them ultimately claim the 1-seed in the Western Conference, that is how good of a team they are.
Come time for the playoffs though, young teams generally do not make it far because experience and mentality matters so much.
This is where the Warriors have the advantage over the Grizzlies right now and moving forward, this is an area in which Memphis really needs to grow.
In time and as they gain experiences like this loss to Golden State, the Grizzlies will begin to learn and expand their overall mental approach to the game, but as of right now, their inability to move on and not let a team like the Warriors bother them is a little worrisome.
You can talk-the-talk all day long, but if you cannot walk-the-walk and step up when it really matters, then you have no right claiming you are the best team. On Sunday, the Warriors very clearly reminded the Grizzlies of this.
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