Warriors vs Grizzlies Preview: Memphis On A Roll, Big Frontline Visits #Roaracle

warriors vs grizzlies preview (Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez, The Chronicle)

Golden State Warriors (44-27) vs. Memphis Grizzlies (43-28)

Tip-off: Friday, March 27th, 2014 – 7:30 PM PST

Location: Oracle Arena, Oakland, CA

Spread:  Golden State (-7.5) meaning Warriors are 7.5-point favorites

TV: CSN Bay Area | Radio: KNBR 1050 AM

Livetweet: @LetsGoWarriors (by @goldenstatenz)

Last Game / Streak:
MEM – Won 91-87 vs UTA at Salt Lake City, Won 3 straight games
GSW – Lost 90-99 vs SAS in Oakland, Lost 1 straight game

Last Meeting Between The Teams:

Warriors Won 108-82 on 12/7/2013 in Memphis. The Warriors put out an impressive win as the #SplashBrothers combined for 52 points. Curry led the way with, 22 points, 6 rebounds, 15 assists and 1 block.

Probable Starting Lineups:

Warriors:

PG: Stephen Curry (23.5 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 8.6 APG)

SG: Klay Thompson (18.2 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 2.2 APG)

SF: Andre Iguodala (9.3 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 4.2 APG)

PF: Jermaine O’Neal (18.5 PPG, 5.3RPG, 0 APG)

C: Andrew Bogut (7.8 PPG, 10.1 RPG, 1.7 APG)

HEAD COACH: Mark Jackson (114-105)

Grizzlies:

PG: Mike Conley (17.2 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 6.1 APG)

SG: Courtney Lee (9.5 PPG,2.9 RPG, 1.5 APG)

SF: TayShawn Prince (6.0 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 1.8 APG)

PF: Zach Randolf (17.3 PPG, 10.0 RPG, 3.0 APG)

C:  Marc Gasol (13.9 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 1.3 APG)

HEAD COACH: David Joerger (43-28)

David Lee is out with a hamstring strain:

David Lee is out. Andre Iguodala is expected to play. Both according to head coach Mark Jackson.

— Rusty Simmons (@Rusty_SFChron) March 29, 2014

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After losing to a resting San Antonio Spurs team, the Warriors are looking to bounce back, facing a hungry Grizzlies team looking to continue their three-game win streak.

Iguodala will start for the Warriors after being out for three games. He is looking to have an early burst after being diagnosed with right knee tendinitis.

The Warriors will look to get out to an early lead and not play the grind-out scheme Memphis looks towards.

KEY Matchup: If Thompson can get it going for the Warriors they will have an easier time dealing with the Grizzlies on defense. The last time these two teams played, Thompson splashed them for 30; he is looking for that kind of success the fourth time around.

Ron Kroichick of the San Francisco Chronicle:

Now the Warriors must find a way to quickly rediscover the momentum they built before their break. They have won eight of 11 games, rising into sixth place in the congested West standings. Golden State entered play Thursday only a half-game behind fifth-place Portland.
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Then again, the Warriors (44-27) also stand only one game ahead of seventh-place Memphis (43-28). And the Grizzlies are rolling, with an 11-3 record in March and center Marc Gasol back in the mix.
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Gasol missed 23 games this season and is still nursing knee and ankle injuries. His presence solidifies Memphis’ lineup and helps the Grizzlies play their physical, grind-it-out style; in winning five of their past six games, they allowed no opponent to score more than 92 points.
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The Warriors prefer a faster pace – and not coincidentally, perhaps, they had lost 11 consecutive games to Memphis before ending the streak on Dec. 7. Friday night’s clash brings serious playoff implications, with each team having only 11 games left in the regular season.
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“We have to go out there with the mind-set this is a make-or-break game,” Bogut said. “If we lose, we’re in really tight waters.”

Kevin Lipe of the Memphis Flyer:

“Somehow, the Grizzlies managed to pull off a come-from-behind win in Utah last night to beat a Jazz team that’s given the Griz more trouble than they’ve had any right to all season long now. After trailing by as much as 16 in the third quarter, the Grizzlies did some Sean Tuohy math (“If they can get it to single digits by the end of the third quarter”) and slowly reeled in the Jazz over the next 18 minutes.
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The need for a comeback was partly attributable to the slow start: the Griz ended the first quarter trailing 25-17 and shooting 29% from the floor, with ten different guys getting playing time as coach Dave Joerger flailed around to find a set of players who weren’t actively opposed to the idea of playing a basketball game in Utah.”
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The warriors need to find a way to put away the Grizzlies early. They need to find their mojo they had at the beginning of the season. With Iggy being back in the lineup the warriors can ride that emotional high and hopefully get some production out of the bench. Can this be the year of the dubs? Last year we were able to take the NBA by storm but this year people are preparing for us. There is a reason why the Warriors were picked to possibly win the west and they need to reinsure the fans they didn’t make a mistake. I think everyone has been anxious for postseason success.