The man who has always played taller than he is is being forced to fight like he's taller than he is, again. This was not the plan, for Draymond Green. He is 36, now, and the Warriors have wanted and tried to pair him with a true 7-foot-center to ease the burden.
But Kristaps Porzingis is unavailable. And reserve Charles Bassey has knee tendinitis. And Al Horford is 40. Green and two-way rookie Graham Ike are who remain at the 5.
"Yeah," Green nodded Wednesday night, asked if he was aware of his increased burden in Porzingis's indefinite absence. He grinned, knowing. "Definitely."
"But s- happens."
Stuff, indeed, happened quickly and explosively not three minutes into the second half of Friday night's home-opening 111-108 loss to Memphis, the 6-foot-6 Green grappling with a giant in 7-foot-4 Zach Edey and a Grizzlies franchise carrying plenty of history with Golden State. A first half of chippiness – double-techs on Green and Grizzlies enforcer Isaiah Stewart, Stewart barking with Green on their way back to the locker room at halftime – boiled over as Green and Edey interlocked in a third-quarter tussle, the two bigs launching verbal arrows and somehow escaping any officiating ramifications.
Slowly, this opener became a grappling match in the muck. These were not the Grit-n-Grind Grizzlies of old, with 2026 No. 2 pick Cameron Boozer leading a litter of new cubs; this Memphis group, though, was a spiritual sequel. The Grizzlies played tough, as three Memphis players picking up four first-half fouls. They played mean. And they played big, the clear Achilles heel of an already-flawed Warriors roster: Golden State started Ike next to Green on Friday, an undrafted signee out of Gonzaga on a two-way deal.
These Warriors had no choice but to scrap. But they didn't have enough. Goliath stomped David, in a remarkable collapse Friday night.
Grizzlies 111, Warriors 108
| FG | FT | Reb | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MEMPHIS | Min | M-A | M-A | O-T | A | PF | PTS |
| Boozer | 37:23 | 6-13 | 9-9 | 2-13 | 6 | 1 | 25 |
| Jackson | 15:17 | 1-6 | 0-1 | 1-4 | 1 | 4 | 2 |
| Edey | 22:25 | 4-6 | 0-1 | 4-10 | 3 | 2 | 8 |
| Jerome | 31:30 | 11-22 | 3-5 | 2-2 | 5 | 1 | 28 |
| Wells | 24:56 | 5-9 | 3-5 | 2-4 | 3 | 5 | 17 |
| Grant | 26:26 | 2-9 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| Post | 19:48 | 1-3 | 0-0 | 1-1 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| Spencer | 16:42 | 4-7 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 1 | 1 | 11 |
| Pippen Jr. | 16:37 | 4-6 | 0-0 | 3-6 | 3 | 4 | 8 |
| Stewart | 16:23 | 2-3 | 0-0 | 0-2 | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Murray | 12:31 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 2-3 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Totals | 240:00 | 40-86 | 16-22 | 18-47 | 27 | 30 | 111 |
Percentages: FG .465, FT .727.
3-Point Goals: 15-39, .385 (Boozer 4-7, Wells 4-7, Jerome 3-5, Spencer 3-5, Grant 1-7, Pippen Jr. 0-1, Post 0-1, Stewart 0-1, Murray 0-2, Jackson 0-3).
Team Rebounds: 8. Team Turnovers: 2.
Blocked Shots: 7 (Edey 2, Post 2, Grant, Murray, Pippen Jr.).
Turnovers: 25 (Boozer 6, Pippen Jr. 5, Jerome 4, Grant 2, Post 2, Spencer 2, Stewart 2, Jackson, Wells).
Steals: 7 (Boozer 2, Grant 2, Edey, Jerome, Stewart).
Technical Fouls: Stewart, 3:51 second; Jerome, 9:45 third.
| FG | FT | Reb | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GOLDEN STATE | Min | M-A | M-A | O-T | A | PF | PTS |
| Green | 31:05 | 2-4 | 0-0 | 0-4 | 6 | 5 | 5 |
| Lendeborg | 37:29 | 4-11 | 9-12 | 7-13 | 6 | 3 | 18 |
| Ike | 12:20 | 4-7 | 0-0 | 2-2 | 1 | 3 | 10 |
| Curry | 29:46 | 5-15 | 11-11 | 1-3 | 4 | 4 | 24 |
| Podziemski | 32:53 | 7-17 | 2-2 | 1-2 | 3 | 3 | 18 |
| Melton | 20:29 | 4-6 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 0 | 2 | 10 |
| Santos | 19:51 | 1-3 | 2-2 | 3-4 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| Horford | 19:13 | 1-3 | 0-0 | 0-5 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Niang | 13:24 | 2-5 | 0-0 | 3-3 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Payton II | 10:43 | 3-6 | 0-0 | 0-2 | 0 | 3 | 7 |
| Williams | 9:22 | 1-5 | 2-2 | 1-2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Richard | 3:21 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | 240:00 | 34-83 | 26-29 | 18-41 | 23 | 27 | 108 |
Percentages: FG .410, FT .897.
3-Point Goals: 14-41, .341 (Curry 3-10, Ike 2-2, Melton 2-3, Podziemski 2-8, Santos 1-1, Green 1-2, Horford 1-3, Lendeborg 1-3, Payton II 1-3, Niang 0-3, Williams 0-3).
Team Rebounds: 9. Team Turnovers: None.
Blocked Shots: 6 (Horford 2, Green, Melton, Podziemski, Santos).
Turnovers: 19 (Lendeborg 6, Green 5, Podziemski 4, Williams 2, Niang, Payton II).
Steals: 12 (Lendeborg 3, Podziemski 3, Ike, Melton, Niang, Richard, Santos, Williams).
Technical Fouls: Green, 3:51 second; Lendeborg, 9:45 third; coach Steve Kerr, 00:12 fourth.
| Memphis | 33 | 27 | 24 | 27 | - | 111 |
| Golden State | 34 | 22 | 34 | 18 | - | 108 |
A: 18,064 (18,064).
After padding out a 106-94 lead with less than four minutes to play – courtesy of some tough buckets in a 24-point night from Curry, a hard-charging effort by rookie Yaxel Lendeborg, and timely shot-making from Brandin Podziemski – the Warriors' wheels fell off. Curry fouled Memphis wing Jaylen Wells on a corner 3-pointer, the beginning of the avalanche. Memphis ripped off a swift 11-0 run, capped by a triple from one-time Warriors guard Ty Jerome, who sneered and roared at the bench from the hardwood.
There was still time to mount a stand, with 36 seconds remaining, Podziemski trying to check star Grizzlies rookie Boozer. But he – in addition to the rest of the roster – had no answer for the power of the 6-foot-9 Boozer, who got to his spot and dropped in a floater to give Memphis a lead it wouldn't relinquish.
A late technical foul from head coach Steve Kerr, in complaint of an inconsistent night by referees, offered no respite. And Golden State dropped an eminently winnable home opener, fans trudging out of Chase Center in disappointed droves.
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There’s more to San Francisco with the Chronicle. Subscribe today for just 25¢.This article originally published at Warriors overwhelmed by Grizzlies rookie Cameron Boozer, collapse in home-opening loss to Memphis.