The Golden State Warriors defeated the Memphis Grizzlies in a regular season game on January 5th, Beijing time. Despite the absence of Stephen Curry, the Warriors played a smooth offensive game, maintaining their lead throughout the first three quarters and extending it in the final quarter to secure a 121-113 victory.
In this game, Andrew Wiggins and Dennis Schroder led the team. Wiggins took control of the situation in the third quarter, with his consecutive scoring helping the team to pull away. He finished the game with 24 points, shooting 9 for 17, which is above his average. Schroder has fully adapted to the team in the last two games, especially when holding the ball, he can connect with his teammates and maintain the rhythm. He scored 17 points himself, and his performance has been getting better, becoming a key player in the backcourt.
The two shooters, Buddy Hield and Jaylen Hoard, also had strong performances. Their form had been inconsistent recently, but Hield shot 4 for 7 from beyond the arc, scoring 14 points. Hoard's three-point shooting was particularly good in the fourth quarter, going 4 for 5 from three-point range, helping the team maintain their lead and finishing with 16 points. With these two players performing well, the support from the perimeter is sufficient.
Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody were able to maintain stable output. Kuminga had a very efficient game, scoring 13 points on 4 for 6 shooting, but unfortunately, he did not play in the second half due to an injury sustained in the first half. Moody also played well, scoring 8 points on 2 for 3 shooting. His efficiency in the last two games has been very high, making him a valuable asset as a plug-and-play player.
Li Kail became a key player in the final quarter. In the last few minutes, he made consecutive shots, connected plays, and limited opponents defensively. With his offensive and defensive contributions, he also helped stabilize the rhythm. Li Kail had not been getting much playing time before, but his performance in this game was impressive, and it is hoped that he will continue to be used more in the future.
However, TJD's efficiency was still poor. Schroder kept feeding him the ball, but TJD's overall efficiency remained low. He shot only 5 for 13 in the game, which is indeed a disappointing shooting percentage.