The Warriors’ young players took over in a 121-101 win against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night.
Brandin Podziemski recorded a 14-assist, 12-point double-double. Podziemski’s 14 assists are the most by a rookie this season and the most by a Warriors rookie since Steph Curry recorded 14 in 2010. He also did not turn the ball over once.
“Just doing whatever the game calls for,” Podziemski told reporters in Memphis. “Coach trusted me with the ball in my hands tonight, more in the point guard role. I’m more proud of the zero turnovers rather than the 14 assists.”
Jonathan Kuminga went scoreless in the first quarter, then burst out for a 15-point second quarter and finished with a team-high 29 points shooting 11-for-15 from the field and has now scored at least 20 points in eight straight games. Over that eight-game span, Kuminga is shooting 50% from the field. Denver Nuggets MVP Nikola Jokic is the only other NBA player this year to accomplish this, according to Elias Sports Bureau.
“JK has just really figured it out,” coach Steve Kerr told reporters. “The game has slowed down for him and he’s understanding how to attack, when to attack. I thought he made some good passes tonight. He’s so powerful and explosive going to the rim and seeing the floor better than every. He’s really broken through and it’s been amazing to watch because it’s two years of ups and downs and I’m so impressed with what he’s done. He’s becoming a hell of a player.”
It was against Memphis on Martin Luther King Jr. Day that Draymond Green returned from his suspension and lit into his teammates for a poor defensive effort. Though the Grizzlies were without its star players — Ja Morant, Desmond Bane and Marcus Smart among them — Green helped anchor a strong defensive effort and put up 12 rebounds. Memphis took 46 3s and made just 14.
Curry scored 20 points shooting 6-of-16, including going 4-for-9 from 3.
Lester Quinones and Gui Santos played 19 and 10 minutes, respectively, with Dario Saric out due to illness. Quinones, who played for the University of Memphis, had 10 points and six rebounds in his homecoming.
The Warriors play the latter part of this back-to-back against the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday, then head to Brooklyn to face the Nets. They finish off the road trip against the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday and the Indiana Pacers on Thursday, the trade deadline.
