Jonathan Kuminga remained the Warriors' best offensive player, scoring 15 of his game-high 29 points in the second quarter, leading them to their opening 121-101 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday at FedExForum.
Stephen Curry, who was named a reserve to the Western Conference team on Thursday, had 20 points and six assists. Klay Thompson returned after missing a game due to illness and scored 14 points.
Brandin Podzemski had 12 points, seven rebounds and 14 assists. His assists are the most by any NBA rookie this season and the most by any Warriors rookie since Ky Bowman had 11 nearly four years ago.
Unlike when the two teams met on Jan. 15 when the Grizzlies couldn't miss the ball from the perimeter and handled the Warriors fairly easily, Golden State took control early Friday and maintained a comfortable lead most of the night.
The Grizzlies were once again less than full strength, but this time, they didn't make the big plays off the bench like they did a few weeks ago. JJ Jackson, who scored a career-high 23 points on five 3-pointers in a win over Memphis on Jan. 15, had one point in 16 minutes during the rematch.
The Warriors (21-24) still have issues defensively. The Grizzlies (18-31), who made 20 3s in Game 1, again got open looks from the perimeter and shot 14 of 46 beyond the arc.
It was the first of five games over seven days for Golden State, which may be why coach Steve Kerr came to the bench, giving rarely used players like Joey Santos and Lester Quiñones some burn. Quiñones had a career-high 10 points and six rebounds, while Santos had four points.
Here are the highlights of the Warriors' 20-point win:
The Kuminga line is reaching a milestone
Kuminga's scoring surge over the past month has been a welcome boost to Golden State's offense. The Warriors have been looking for a consistent complementary scorer to Curry all season, and the 21-year-old forward has provided just that while Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins continue to be up and down.
Kuminga, who also grabbed six rebounds, has now scored in double figures in 25 straight games, including the last eight with 20 or more. It's the longest double-figure streak by a Golden State under-22 player since Monta Ellis did it in 48 straight games during the 2007-08 NBA season.
The way JK plays has silenced a lot of the criticism that has followed him throughout the early stages of his career. It also explains why owner Joe Lacob doesn't want to part ways with the phenom as the trade deadline approaches.
Kerr's frustration mounts
For weeks now — and perhaps much longer than that — Kerr has been complaining about the lack of phone calls Carrie is receiving. After seeing the two-time NBA MVP get hit in the head in the first quarter, Kerr's anger got the better of him. He entered the field to complain and was soon exposed to a technical foul.
Kerr has made a veiled reference to the inconsistencies he's seen when it comes to the calls going Curry's way this season, and he has facts to back it up.
While Curry is known for his three-point shooting prowess, he runs aggressively from the hoop and should take many more fouls than he does. Coming into the game with the Grizzlies, Curry led the NBA in free throw percentage but was averaging just 5.5 attempts per game, 28th overall and eighth least among point guards. On Friday, he went 4-for-4 from the stripe.
Where did Saric's minutes go?
With Dario Saric out and currently not with the team for the road trip due to illness, Kerr has gotten a little creative with how he divides up the minutes the veteran big man typically gets.
Trayce Jackson-Davis, who has seen his playing time drop significantly over the past two weeks, was the first to get a chance to fill Saric's shoes. The rookie finished with five points in nine minutes.
Santos also got on the ground to help close the gap. The Warriors' 2022 second-round pick, who previously played in just six games this season, made both of his shots and had a plus-five mark in 10:46 minutes.
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