The Memphis Grizzlies had every reason to feel the pressure when the fourth quarter got away from them against the Golden State Warriors. A 12-point deficit on the road, a five-game skid in the series hanging over them, and Golden State suddenly controlling the pace - it looked like more of the same.
Instead, Memphis flipped the night.
The Grizzlies closed on a 17-2 run, erased the late hole and left Chase Center with a 111-108 win on Oct. 23. Rookie Cam Boozer delivered the last blow, scoring the go-ahead basket with 19.7 seconds remaining and finishing with 25 points in a game that kept swinging back and forth until the final possessions.
Memphis had led for much of the first half, but turnovers and fouls helped the Warriors stay within reach. Golden State then surged in the third quarter and carried that momentum into the fourth, building what looked like a decisive cushion. The Grizzlies answered anyway, tying the game before Boozer stepped in to settle it.
The winning sequence fit the way Memphis played through the chaos. Boozer took a favorable matchup against Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski, then used a controlled, deliberate move to create the shot. He turned, faced up near the top of the 3-point line and attacked the paint before finishing with a running turnaround over the smaller defender.
“Yeah, I mean I thought I had a mismatch so me and Ty (Jerome), we just talked about, for me to walk him down, I got the ball and just had to punish him and got the bucket," Boozer said.
That moment said plenty about why the Grizzlies are so high on the 19-year-old rookie. Boozer ended the night with 25 points, 13 rebounds and six assists, making him the second-youngest player in franchise history to post a double-double.
Ty Jerome gave Memphis the steady scoring punch it needed all night, leading the team with 28 points on 11-for-22 shooting. He had only eight points in the first half, then came alive with 12 in the third quarter as Memphis fought back into the game. Jaylen Wells also came through with 17 points, while Zach Edey helped anchor the physical side of the comeback.
That physical edge mattered. Memphis spent the night winning scrappy possessions, battling on the glass and making the game uncomfortable. Edey and Boozer combined for 23 of the team’s 47 rebounds, and the Grizzlies leaned into the kind of grind Edey described afterward.
“Yeah, it’s kind of our identity," Edey said. "You get in the game like that, make it grimy, get rebounds, control the possessions, get stops. That’s kind of how we want to play.”
There were still plenty of mistakes along the way. Memphis turned the ball over 27 times, and those giveaways turned into 38 Warriors points. Golden State also had a 26-16 edge in made free throws, numbers that could have easily buried the Grizzlies if the comeback had stalled.
Instead, Memphis found enough answers late to finish the job. Wells helped slow Stephen Curry, limiting him to 5-for-15 shooting, and the Grizzlies made the plays they needed when the game tightened.
The victory snapped Memphis’ five-game losing streak against the Warriors and an eight-game skid at Golden State. The Grizzlies will be back in action Oct. 25 against the Sacramento Kings at 8 p.m. CT on DAZN-MEM.
In Other News...
Luka Drama Just Pulled The Grizzlies Into A Bigger NBA Debate
A rookies first NBA night usually comes with a learning curve, but Yaxel Lendeborg turned his postgame podium into something much bigger after Golden States debut matchup. The Warriors first-year player took aim at Luka Doncic in a way that immediately rippled beyond one game, with veterans around him backing the tone of his comments and the leagues usual respect the veterans conversation suddenly getting louder.
For Memphis, the larger point is less about the fireworks and more about the kind of edge that can change how a young player is viewed around the league. Lendeborg acknowledged the reaction could have been too much, but he also made clear he is not interested in sanding down his personality, which keeps this from being just another fleeting rookie quote and turns it into a test of how far a player can push before the backlash becomes part of the story. [Read more 🡒]
Grizzlies Win Clearly Got Under The Warriors Skin
Golden State had this one in hand late before Memphis flipped it, turning a 12-point fourth-quarter cushion into a 111-108 loss that left the Warriors staring at an 0-2 start. Stephen Curry again carried the scoring load with 24 points, but the bigger story was the frustration around the way the game unraveled, with the Warriors clearly bothered by how the final stretch was handled.
The early season concern now is bigger than one frustrating night, because the schedule already turns to Phoenix next. Curry said after the game the Warriors have to sort through their struggles, and the outlook for that matchup is already clouded by the possibility he sits out, leaving Golden State to answer some uncomfortable questions before the trip even gets underway. [Read more 🡒]
Warriors Suddenly Face Another Problem Grizzlies Fans Will Notice
Golden State is heading into its next game in rough shape, and that is the kind of injury report Memphis fans will be watching closely. The Warriors already know they will be without a major chunk of their rotation because of injuries and recovery management, while the Suns enter with most of their roster available aside from Oso Ighodaro and Mark Williams, with Luke Kennard listed as questionable.
For a Grizzlies team trying to track the Western Conference race, the wrinkle is the state of the Warriors availability, which keeps shifting the outlook around any matchup involving them. Draymond Green remains doubtful, and Charles Bassey is questionable, leaving Golden State with even more uncertainty on top of the absences it has already confirmed. [Read more 🡒]