MEMPHIS, Tenn. _ The Warriors displayed an offensive clinic usually reserved just for NBA All-Star games. Unfortunately for the Warriors, they also showed defensive apathy usually reserved for that same contest.
The Warriors still finished with a 118-103 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday, thanks to the continued brilliance of Stephen Curry (28 points), Kevin Durant (28), DeMarcus Cousins (16) and Klay Thompson (13). But the Memphis Grizzlies (30-45) stayed in the game because of the Warriors' inconsistent defense.
That is until crunch time. The Warriors closed out the game holding the Grizzlies to only one field goal in the final 6:52. They showed when they feel vulnerable, the Warriors are willing to a morph from a team defined by talent to one also defined by grittiness.
As a result, the Warriors (51-23) have a half-game edge over the Denver Nuggets (50-23) for first place in the Western Conference with eight regular-season games remaining.
