It's a marquee matchup on Christmas Day as the defending champion Golden State Warriors host the best team in the Western Conference this season, the Memphis Grizzlies. The Warriors are struggling at 15-18 while the Grizzlies are 20-11. The last time these two teams met, the Warriors scored a 4 games to 2 win in the playoffs on their way to an NBA title. Memphis is favored by 4.5 points. Tipoff is at 8:00 p.m. EST at the Chase Center in San Francisco.
The Memphis Grizzlies surprised a lot of folks last season with their success, but no one is surprised this season. The Grizzlies lead the Western Conference, along with Denver, with a record of 20-11. They have won 8 of their last 10 games and are coming off an impressive 125-100 win at Phoenix on Friday night. Memphis shot 49% from the floor and absolutely manhandled the Suns on the boards, out rebounding them 53-35.
Malika Andrews: “Who do you look at around the league as you're studying and say, 'We're gonna have to run through them?'”
Ja Morant: “Celtics”
Malik Andrews: “No one in the West.”
Ja Morant: “Nah. I'm fine in the West.”
(h/t @_Talkin_NBA )
pic.twitter.com/Y9Iy0NfmnZ
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) December 21, 2022
The Grizzlies got an early Christmas present at their second best player, Desmond Bane, returned from an injury Friday. Bane picked up where he left off with 17 points. He is averaging 24.1 points per game this season. Brandon Clarke was the main man off the bench with 24 points and 10 rebounds while Jaren Jackson had the same. Dillon Brooks added 16 points while Ja Morant only had 12 points, but doled out 11 assists. The Grizzlies lead the league in rebounding and are third in blocked shots. They are 6th in points scored per game and 8th in points against.
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