Grizzlies step up to beat Warriors in Draymond Green’s return

VINCE Williams Jr. and GG Jackson went for career-high point totals, Stephen Curry committed two backcourt turnovers in a key fourth-quarter sequence and the Memphis Grizzlies defeated the visiting Golden State Warriors 116-107 on Monday night.

Williams scored 24 points and Jackson had 23 off the bench for the Grizzlies, who scored 60 points on 3-pointers, 32 points on free throws and just 24 on two-point baskets. Memphis ended a two-game losing streak despite missing Ja Morant, Marcus Smart and Desmond Bane, among others.

Curry had game highs of 26 points and eight assists for the Warriors, who welcomed back Draymond Green from a 16-game absence, the first 12 of which were the result of an NBA suspension.

Coming off the bench, Green finished with seven points, seven rebounds and four assists in 24 minutes.

After Curry made a 3-pointer with 10:34 remaining to produce the fourth lead change of the fourth quarter, Luke Kennard dropped in three free throws to trigger a 16-5 burst and put Memphis in command for good.

Jackson had two 3-pointers and Kennard had one during the run, which ended with the Grizzlies holding their biggest lead to that point, 106-96, with 7:20 to go.

Curry had two critical turnovers in the stretch, dribbling the ball out of bounds once and getting stripped by Jacob Gilyard the other time. Gilyard converted his steal into a layup.

Williams, a second-year player, had a previous career high of 19 earlier this month against the Phoenix Suns, while Jackson, a two-way player in just his eighth NBA game, topped his previous best of 20, set Saturday against the New York Knicks.

Jaren Jackson Jr. racked up 18 points, five assists, five rebounds and four steals for Memphis. David Roddy had 12 points and Kennard, Gilyard and Santi Aldama 11 apiece for the Grizzlies, who shot 20-for-54 on 3-pointers and 32-for-40 on free throws.

The Warriors, on the other hand, went just 10-for-31 on threes and 9-for-10 at the stripe.

Williams and Roddy shared team-high rebound honors with seven, while Kennard joined Jaren Jackson with a team-high five assists for the Grizzlies.

Jonathan Kuminga backed Curry with 20 points and a game-high 11 rebounds for the Warriors, who dropped a second straight. Andrew Wiggins had 16 points and Dario Saric scored 13. — Reuters