NBA: Grizzlies too good for Golden State in battle of big two
Last Updated: 17/12/14 10:26am
Golden State has suffered their first defeat in more than a month, losing 105-98 to the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday.
Spanish centre Marc Gasol netted 24 points and grabbed seven rebounds for Memphis in the battle between the top two teams in the league.
It was Golden State’s first defeat since November 11 when they were beaten by San Antonio and it ended their streak of 16 wins in a row.
However, Golden State still enjoy the best NBA percentage this season with a win-loss record of 21-3 (.875), while the Grizzlies are 20-4 (.833)
Memphis clamped down defensively early in the second quarter, forcing 11 consecutive Golden State misses.
The Warriors failed to register a point during this period as the Grizzlies racked up 20 unanswered to build a 14-point advantage.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr admitted: "Just too much to overcome.
"That's a great team over there and we had to fight really hard just to get back to where we were. We were close but we couldn't quite get over the hump.
"Our biggest problem tonight was our execution offensively. We were scattered. We weren't moving early in the game and then we started moving but we were sort of careless with the ball. We had key turnovers at really important times.
"In the end, I love this team, they're competitive, they defend, they pull for each other. But come playoff time you have to execute offensively, you can't have empty possessions. We had a lot of them tonight. We've just got to bounce back."
Zach Randolph scored 17 points with 10 rebounds, while Mike Conley supplied 17 points and four steals.
Vince Carter nailed four three-pointers as he chipped in 16 points for the Grizzlies who have now posted five victories in a row.
Meanwhile highly regarded Milwaukee Bucks rookie Jabari Parker will miss the rest of the season after the forward tore a ligament in his left knee.
Parker suffered the injury, initially believed to be a sprain, when making a drive to the basket in Milwaukee's win over the Phoenix Suns on Monday.