SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Jordan Poole scored 32 points — highlighted by emphatic one-handed slam off a pass from Draymond Green in the third — to outduel Ja Morant before being ejected, and the Warriors beat the Memphis Grizzlies 123-109 on Sunday night in a rematch of the Western Conference Finals won in five games by Golden State.
Morant scored 36 points while debuting his first Nike signature “Ja 1” shoe for the Grizzlies’ first Christmas Day game.
Klay Thompson added 24 points and nine rebounds, Donte DiVincenzo had 19 points and Ty Jerome came up big off the bench in the third for 14 points as the Warriors played their 10th straight Christmas game.
Facing a Grizzlies team that is healthy at last and using its regular lineup, tensions were high just like that playoff round seven months ago. Poole was tossed for the first time in his career with 9:20 left and Golden State had six technicals.
Poole hit back-to-back 3-pointers 22 seconds apart in the first as the Warriors played without injured reigning NBA Finals MVP Stephen Curry for a fifth straight game because of a shoulder injury. Poole had 17 points in the opening quarter on 5-of-9 shooting with three 3s.
The Warriors used a 19-8 burst to begin the second quarter to lead 52-37. But Memphis roared back, getting to 59-54 on three free throws by Tyus Jones just before halftime following a technial on Poole.
Steven Adams grabbed 14 rebounds for Memphis, coming off a 125-100 victory at Phoenix on Friday night in its seventh wire-to-wire win this season. Desmond Bane played his second game back from a 17-game absence with a sprained right big toe.
Green had been questionable with right foot soreness but tested it during a walk-through and was fine to go, contributing 13 rebounds and 13 assists. That kept the Warriors from potentially using a different starting lineup for a seventh straight game. DiVincenzo returned Sunday from missing two games with an illness.
RIVALRY
The Grizzlies eliminated the Warriors in the 2021 play-in round and continue to rise.
“They have a lot of continuity,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “I really admire what they’ve built over the last four, five years.”
WIGGINS’ HEALTH
Warriors All-Star Andrew Wiggins missed his 10th straight game and 12th overall with a strained muscle in his right thigh area. Team Vice President of Player Health and Performance Rick Celebrini warned Kerr that if Wiggins rushed back and re-injured the leg he could be out another month.
“Yeah, it’s just lingered longer than we had expected, but with groin injuries, you have to be careful,” Kerr said. “… We are just trying to be cautious and give him an extra day or a couple of days, whatever it’s going to take to get him back. Hopefully, he’ll play soon, but I can’t tell exactly when that is.”
TIP-INS
Grizzlies: Morant missed 8 of 10 3s, Bane was 0 for 7 as the Grizzlies went 9 of 39 from deep. … Memphis had won the last two against the Warriors, who have won eight of 10 overall in the rivalry. … The Grizzlies held the Suns to 43.7% from the floor Friday and Golden State shot 47.3%.
Warriors: Green was hit with a technical at the 3:08 mark of the first, his 10th of the season. Kerr also got one so the Warriors had three Ts. … Curry will miss at least two more weeks for Golden State as he recovers from a partial dislocation of the left shoulder he suffered Dec. 14 in a game at Indiana. Curry will be re-evaluated again in two weeks. … Golden State played on Christmas Day as defending champion for the fifth time and is 4-1 in those games. The Warriors are 15-17 overall on Christmas and 8-5 at home.
UP NEXT
Grizzlies: Host Phoenix on Tuesday night in a quick rematch with the Suns riding a three-game winning streak in the series.
Warriors: Host the Hornets on Tuesday night having lost two in a row to Charlotte overall but with two consecutive wins and six of eight in the series at home.
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