Warriors force Grizzlies into inexplicably poor strategy in comfortable NBA Cup win

If there was one area the Memphis Grizzlies had a distinct advantage heading into Friday's NBA Cup game against the Golden State Warriors, it was the size differential with the likes of Jaren Jackson Jr., Zach Edey, Brandon Clarke and Jay Huff.

Yet the Grizzlies were unable to consistently take advantage, even if Jackson was dominant on occasions on the interior. The Warriors forced the visitors into their style, with both teams taking a similar amount of 3-point attempts as the hosts recorded a comfortable 123-118 victory.

The Warriors saw a huge 3-point differential in their five-point win

While Golden State went a healthy 19-of-46 (41.3%) from beyond the arc, Memphis were kept to 7-of-42 (16.7%) from 3-point range in what proved the obvious difference in the game. The Grizzlies went into the game ranked just 21st in 3-point attempts at 34.6 per game, yet were inexplicably drawn into taking nearly nine more than average.

Jackson had a game-high 32 points on 11-of-20 shooting and was often impossible to stop in the paint, making it all the more bewildering as to why they kept firing away so regularly from beyond the arc.

It was another tick for Jerry Stackhouse and the Warrior defense though, continuing their impressive form as Golden State extended their lead throughout the first three-quarters. After leading by one-point after the first and by seven at half-time, a 38-30 third-quarter gave the Warriors a notable 15-point lead entering the fourth.

Memphis did battle late to reduce the final margin to five which is important in NBA Cup play, but the result was never in doubt as Golden State moved to 10-2 and a perfect 2-0 to start the tournament.

In a physical game that saw both teams shoot in excess of 25 free throws, the Warriors again got contributions all over the board. Buddy Hield had a team-high 18 points on 4-of-8 3-point shooting in 30 minutes off the bench, proving one of 10 Golden State players to score at least eight points.

Moses Moody had 14 points on 3-of-5 from beyond the arc, having missed out on a starting role as Lindy Waters III somewhat surprisingly began in place of the injured De'Anthony Melton. Waters had eight points in nearly 11 minutes before leaving the game with a knee injury in the second-quarter.

Brandin Podziemski started the second-half and finished with 11 points, seven rebounds and five assists, having also provided one of the highlights of the season with a crazy save and assist in what was a much improved performance from the second-year guard.

Draymond Green also knocked down three triples in the second-half, recording 13 points, eight rebounds and seven assists before being ejected in the closing moments after two technical fouls. Fellow veteran star Stephen Curry was rested for the entire fourth-quarter, with the 2x MVP finishing with 13 points, eight rebounds, five asissts and four steals in 26 minutes.

The Warriors have now won three in a row and eight of their last nine ahead of their next meeting against the L.A. Clippers at the new Intuit Dome on Monday.