Grizzlies dominate Warriors for sixth straight victory

Memphis Grizzlies forward Jarell Martin (1) hangs from the rim after dunking as Grizzlies guard Andrew Harrison (5), Golden State Warriors center Anderson Varejao (18), and Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) react in the first half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Dec. 10, 2016, in Memphis, Tenn. AP

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The Grizzlies bolted out of the starting gate and never looked back.

The Warriors weren’t exactly gaining on them anyway.

Marc Gasol and Tony Allen scored 19 points each and Memphis rolled over Golden State 110-89 for its sixth straight win.

“We couldn’t have played much worse,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said, “and I thought (the Grizzlies) were great. They came out, took it to us.

The Grizzlies led by as many as 30 points in the second half — the biggest advantage by any Warriors opponent this season. Seven Memphis players finished in double figures, including Zach Randolph and JaMychal Green with 14 points each.

“We stayed poised, we stayed in control, we stayed aggressive,” Gasol said. “We played to win. We didn’t play not to lose.”

Kevin Durant led Golden State with 21 points, while Stephen Curry added 17 points and Ian Clark finished with 10 points. Curry and backcourt starter Klay Thompson (eight points) were a combined 8 of 28 from the field, including 3 of 14 outside the arc.

Memphis had a double-digit lead early, led 61-38 at halftime and kept building in the third quarter.

Golden State ended a four-game winning streak. The Warriors had won 16 of 17, the lone loss in the stretch coming 132-127 in double overtime to Houston on Dec. 1

Kerr benched his starters with 10 minutes left and Memphis leading 93-65.

It was just one of those rare nights for Golden State, which entered with the league’s best record at 20-3. The Warriors had a season low in points, a season high in turnovers (23) and were close to their season low in shooting percentage (44.2 percent).

Golden State’s 38 first-half points were its fewest in any half this season.

“We weren’t on the same page. We were trying to force too many things,” Thompson said, adding that “(the Grizzlies) definitely took us out of our rhythm early, and we let that affect us on the offensive end and the defensive end.”

The lead ballooned to 68-38 when Memphis scored the first seven points of the second half, and the Grizzlies held an 87-65 lead after three quarters.

“It was one of those nights,” Durant said.

TIP-INS

Warriors: C Zaza Pachulia was a late scratch with a right wrist contusion. Anderson Varejao started his first game of the season (and first with Golden State)… Damian Jones made his NBA debut in the fourth. Jones was selected with the 30th overall pick out of Vanderbilt in last summer’s draft. … Curry’s 3-pointer in the third quarter tied him with Steve Nash for 17th career in 3-point field goals.

Grizzlies: Gasol made a 3-pointer in the third quarter. The 7-foot-1 center has now made a shot from outside the arc in eight of the last nine games. … JaMychal Green (14 points, 10 rebounds) recorded his fifth consecutive double-double. .Memphis trailed for only 31 seconds in the game, 3-2.

CELEBRATING IAN

Clark had his high school number retired Friday night at Germantown High in a Memphis suburb. Clark, who attended college at Belmont, is the only former Germantown player to make the NBA. Several teammates, including Durant, Draymond Green and Curry, attended the ceremonies.

TOO MUCH WARRIOR LOVE

Gasol has grumbled this year when opposing fans have packed into FedExForum and subtly mentioned it Saturday night.

“We did a good job of keeping their crowd out of the game for the most part,” he said. “I think our crowd won. We didn’t let their fans get too excited throughout the game.”

UP NEXT

Warriors: Continue a five-game trip at Minnesota on Sunday. The five-game swing matches the longest stretch away from home for Golden State this season.

Grizzlies: Play their only road game over a two-week stretch traveling to Cleveland on Tuesday night. The teams then travel to Memphis to face each other Wednesday in a back-to-back.