MEMPHIS, Tenn. _ As forward Draymond Green laid on the ground clutching his right elbow, what seemed like a breakthrough night for the Warriors was almost a repeat of a season marred by injuries.
The Warriors were up, 79-65, with less than three minutes left in the third quarter when Green hit the ground hard after contesting Grizzlies' guard Tyus Jones' shot at the rim. With an apparent right elbow contusion, Green went to the bench where his right arm was dressed with a padded sleeve.
Green checked back into the game in the fourth quarter to nearly complete a triple-double _ missing it by two points _ and seal the Warriors' first win in nearly two weeks. On Tuesday, the Warriors (3-12) snapped their seven game losing streak, beating the Memphis Grizzlies, 111-95, at FedEx Forum.
Green finished with eight points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists. Guard Alec Burks led the Warriors with 29 points, while forward Marquese Chriss had his best game of the season with 17 points, six rebounds and five blocks. Forward Glenn Robinson III and rookie Eric Paschall added 20 points and 17 points, respectively.
After a closely contested opening period, the Warriors used a 26-4 run to take a 20 point lead with 3:33 left in the second quarter. Partly helped by several missed shots at the rim by the Grizzlies, the Warriors played stout defense to generate stops and get out in transition.
With 6:07 left in the second quarter, center Willie Cauley-Stein jumped a passing lane to steal Grizzlies rookie guard Ja Morant's pass. Cauley-Stein ran the floor and finished with a dunk at the halfway point of the game's deciding run. It was a night when everyone contributed.
Even though the Grizzlies (5-9) made a few runs, the 33-16 second quarter gave the Warriors a lead they would carry through the final buzzer.
Green's temporary injury opened the door for the Grizzlies, but they failed to mount a comeback. When Green checked back in, the Warriors went on a 14-4 run to take a 23-point lead, its largest lead of the game with 5:10 remaining.
The Grizzlies were paced by Morant's 20 points and six assists. The Warriors defense, steadily improving since the start of the season, held Memphis to 40.9% shooting and gained a 51-37 rebounding edge.
The win provides a morale boost to a short-handed Warriors team in need of a win. Missing several key rotation players, including Stephen Curry (hand surgery) and Klay Thompson (knee surgery), Golden State entered the night with nine healthy players. Green's injury scare would have further depleted the roster to eight.
Maybe it's a lucky break for a team that hasn't had many this season, and one that helped them break a losing streak weighing down the team's progress.
Tuesday's game against the Grizzlies was the first of a back-to-back set that concludes in Dallas against the Mavericks on Wednesday.
