OAKLAND, Calif. _ In a time of sluggishness and inefficiency, the Golden State Warriors jumpstarted their engine by returning to a remedy that often camouflaged last season's inconsistency.
The Warriors finished with a 117-101 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies because of a third-quarter blitz. After struggling against the Grizzlies' grinding and slow-tempo style, the Warriors quickly went into overtime. The Warriors turned a 58-58 halftime tie into a 92-73 cushion entering the fourth quarter en route to an eighth consecutive win and a tie for a league-best 10-1 record.
The Warriors scored 14 unanswered points through over two minutes late in the third quarter. The run began with an Alfonzo McKinnie pull-up jumper and ended with a McKinnie 23-footer. In between, Stephen Curry sank a 27-foot 3-pointer, Kevin Durant made a pair of jump shots and Kevon Looney converted on a layup. Meanwhile, Memphis (5-3) finished with a season-low 15 points on 5-of-19 shooting from the field.
All of which helped the Warriors erase their initial struggles against the Grizzlies. Curry had 19 points, while shooting a rarely inefficient 6-of-17 from the field. Warriors forward Draymond Green missed the entire second half with a right foot contusion. And the Warriors frontcourt in Damian Jones (five) and Jordan Bell (four) became hobbled with foul trouble.
The Warriors compensated elsewhere. Klay Thompson had a team-leading 27 points while shooting 11-of-21 from the field and 3-of-7 from 3-point range. Durant added 22 points on a 7-of-11 clip and an 8-of-8 mark from the free-throw line. And the Warriors dominated in the third period.
