MEMPHIS, Tenn. _ For a moment, midway through the fourth quarter, it looked as if the Warriors were in danger of blowing another lead late to the Grizzlies.
But Draymond Green, in yet another highlight on his Defensive Player of the Year campaign, squashed the Grizzlies' comeback. He anchored a Warriors' defense that refused to let the Grizzlies score enough.
Green had just four points, but still managed a triple-double _ 12 rebounds, 10 assists and 10 steals _ as the Warriors beat host Memphis, 122-107. Two of his steals came in the fourth quarter, timely thwarts during the Grizzlies' surge. He also had five blocks, including one at the rim on Memphis All-Star center Marc Gasol.
Green not only set a team-record in steals, he led the way in the Warriors sending a message to the only team that's beaten the Warriors twice this year. Green was battling contact issues all game, had his nose plugged to stop bleeding after a blow to the face, and limped off midway through the fourth quarter after getting kicked in the shin.
But he returned in time to put the game away. And the visual was clear: the Warriors are tough enough to beat the Grizzlies. They don't have the size they had the last two years when they owned Memphis. But they still have Green, who seems to have enough toughness to make up for the size disparity.
The Warriors focused on dictating tempo early in the game. And Klay Thompson helped matters with his shooting. He finished with 36 points, knocking down eight 3-pointers.
He was the finisher in the first quarter as the Warriors pushed the pace. They forced six turnovers and sped up the game, running at every opportunity and moving aggressively in the half-court sets.
The result was a wave of good looks for Thompson. He knocked down four 3-pointers in the first nine minutes. He'd averaged 12.5 points in the first two meetings against Memphis. He had 14 points in the first quarter first quarter Friday.
Thompson's shooting was about the only thing the Warriors had going on offense. Everyone else was 4-for-13 in the first quarter as the Warriors took a 29-22 lead into the second quarter.
The Warriors did bring their defense with them on this road trip. Despite not having their top two centers _ Zaza Pachula (right rotator cuff) and David West (fractured left thumb) _ the Warriors were able to contain the Grizzlies' vaunted inside game.
Just about every big man dressed took his turn defending Memphis post studs Gasol or Zach Randolph. With help from the Warriors guards, the Grizzlies big men combined for 4-for-12 shooting in the first half. Memphis shot just 34.1 percent in the first half with 13 turnovers.
The Warriors turned it up a notch in the third quarter. With the offense featuring him, Durant got some semblance of a rhythm. He scored 12 in the quarter, combined with another 10 from Thompson, as the Warriors built a lead as large as 24.
Thompson pushed the lead to 26 with five straight points in the first minute of the fourth quarter. But the Grizzlies made their run.
Back on Jan. 2, Memphis erased a 24-point lead to beat the Warriors in overtime at Oracle Arena. Friday, they cut a 26-point lead to 14 points, creating some deja vu. The Warriors offense again sputtered as they leaned on 3-point shooting.
The game turned into a slugfest, a grinding back-and-forth that forced the Warriors to execute and lock down on defense. And Green was the difference.
