NBA: Grizzlies put historic 51-point beatdown on Warriors

Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12) blocks the shot attempt by Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) during the second quarter of an NBA game at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Santi Aldama scored 21 points and grabbed 14 rebounds for the Memphis Grizzlies, who drained a franchise-best 27 3-pointers and shot 54 percent to overwhelm the visiting Golden State Warriors 144-93 in the NBA on Thursday.

It was the second-biggest win in terms of margin in Grizzlies history, trailing only a 152-79 rout of the Oklahoma City Thunder on Dec. 2, 2021.

The Warriors matched the fourth-worst defeat in franchise history.

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The Grizzlies led by 22 at the end of the first quarter, 31 at the half and by 57 in the fourth quarter.

Jake LaRavia added 19 points for Memphis, Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 17, Desmond Bane finished with 15 points and seven assists, and Luke Kennard also logged 15 points.

Eleven of the 12 who played for the Grizzlies made at least one 3-pointer. The Grizzlies, who never trailed, scored a season high in points, getting 82 from their bench.

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) drives against Memphis Grizzlies guard Scotty Pippen Jr., right, in the first half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Brandon Dill)

Brandin Podziemski had a season-high 21 points to lead the Warriors, who had a three-game win streak against the Grizzlies end. Andrew Wiggins scored 19 as Golden State fell for the ninth time in 11 games overall.

Memphis won for the 11th time in its past 13 games, but lost star guard Ja Morant to an injury early in the third quarter. Morant fell hard to the ground while driving to the basket and limped to the locker room with 9:09 to go in the quarter. He returned to the bench later in the period but did not play the remainder of the game.

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Warriors star Stephen Curry was held to two points, the lowest single-game output of his career in contests when he played at least 12 minutes. He missed each of his seven field-goal attempts, six of them from 3-point range. It was also the first time he went without a basket when playing 12-plus minutes.

Curry finished with a minus-41 ratio on the game, having played 24 minutes. Teammate Draymond Green wound up at minus-42 while registering no points, no rebounds and no assists in 19 minutes.

The Grizzlies jumped out to an early 13-2 lead and never looked back. Memphis made seven 3-pointers in the opening quarter.

The Warriors struggled during the Grizzlies torrid start. Golden State shot 17.4 percent in the first quarter and Curry was held scoreless. The 37-15 deficit was the Warriors’ largest at the end of an opening quarter this season.

The Grizzlies were up 69-38 at halftime following a closing 9-2 run that included 3-pointers from LaRavia and Aldama. –Field Level Media