NBA: Grizzlies rout Warriors, Bucks hold off Nets
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Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green and Memphis Grizzlies forward Dillon Brooks are separated by an official during the first half at FedExForum.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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MEMPHIS – The Memphis Grizzlies and the Golden State Warriors do not like each other – and it was the former who had the last laugh on Thursday night.
In the latest instalment of their rivalry, the Grizzlies produced a devastating first-quarter scoring spree in a 131-110 National Basketball Association (NBA) home drubbing.
They erupted for 48 points in the first period to take a stranglehold on the contest, as Golden State’s suspect defence was exposed once more.
Tyus Jones led the Memphis scorers with 22 points, while Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr had 21 points apiece as six Grizzlies players finished in double figures.
The win gave the team bragging rights over a Golden State side with whom they have developed an increasingly fractious rivalry in recent seasons.
The Warriors beat the Grizzlies in the Western Conference play-offs last season en route to the NBA title, and the build-up to Thursday’s game had been marked by a war of words between Memphis’ Dillon Brooks and Golden State’s Draymond Green.
The bad blood threatened to spill over into Thursday’s clash, with the two men getting into a tense confrontation in the second quarter which ended with them being separated by a referee.
Brooks had stoked controversy last week by voicing his antipathy towards Green and the Warriors (34-33), stating: “I don’t like Draymond at all. I just don’t like Golden State. I don’t like anything to do with them.”
Green later returned the fire, declaring on Wednesday: “I quite frankly wouldn’t like a team that beats me all the time either.”
Nevertheless, it was Brooks, with 14 points, and Memphis (39-26) who triumphed in the end.
“We’ve had a rough couple of weeks but we’ve got dogs on our team,” Brooks said
He added: “You should give that mic to Draymond so he can keep talking about me and making me play better.”
The emphatic victory was a welcome piece of good news for Memphis after a challenging week.
The Grizzlies were once again without the services of star point guard Ja Morant, who is under investigation by the NBA
Warriors coach Steve Kerr was left lamenting the first-quarter tactical gamble of starting four guards that saw his team routed.
“We’ve gotten off to bad starts in the last six or seven games so we were looking for a little daylight early in the game,” he said.
“We wanted to get some good shots early, but we didn’t do that. We were impatient and took some really tough, quick shots.
“I think in hindsight we got a little too cute with that. We took a gamble and it didn’t pay off.”
Elsewhere, the Milwaukee Bucks extended their lead at the top of the Eastern Conference with a 118-113 win over Brooklyn.
Bobby Portis led the Bucks scorers with 28 points while Brook Lopez added 24 and Grayson Allen had 19.
The league-best Milwaukee now head the East by 2.5 games from the Boston Celtics with a 48-18 record, while the Nets (37-29) are sixth. AFP
