Warriors at Grizzlies
The Memphis Grizzlies are rapidly improving into a playoff contender in the Western Conference and are enjoying their longest winning streak of the season. The up-and-coming squad will try to push the streak to five straight victories when they host the Golden State Warriors on Sunday.
The Grizzlies are averaging 128.5 points over the last four games and rolled over the San Antonio Spurs 134-121 on Friday to improve to 11-6 over the last 17 games. "I feel like we're all gelling together as one," Memphis rookie point guard Ja Morant told reporters after Friday's triumph. "It's a we over me mindset. We just go out, compete, play together. We just want to keep going. We're all still hungry. We're not satisfied. We're just going to keep doing what we do." The Warriors continue to battle but don't quite have the firepower to get over the hump and had their latest slide reach seven in a row when they squandered a double-digit, fourth-quarter lead in a 109-100 loss at the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday. "They just overwhelmed us," Golden State coach Steve Kerr told reporters after watching his team get outscored 36-17 in the fourth quarter. "They played a great quarter, got downhill on us. ... They're a hell of a team, and we just couldn't quite keep up with them in that fourth."
TIME: 6 p.m. ET. TV: NBCS Bay Area, FS Southeast
ABOUT THE WARRIORS (9-31): Injuries continue to be the big story surrounding the five-time defending Western Conference champions, but Golden State is planning on getting at least one player back with D'Angelo Russell (shoulder) expected to return Sunday following a six-game absence. Omari Spellman took the opportunity to get some extra shots up on Friday and finished with 17 points, matching small forward Glenn Robinson III for the team high. Spellman replaced Willie Cauley-Stein as the starting center in the loss and went 4-of-8 from beyond the arc.
ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES (17-22): Morant handed out a season-high 14 of Memphis' 39 assists on Friday to go with 22 points and seven rebounds and is leading the charge for the team's unselfish attack. "I feel like we're playing very unselfish right now," Morant told reporters. "Coach (Taylor Jenkins) keeps preaching that we've got, like, 30-plus assists in multiple games. I feel like that's what it's all about. He always preaches just go out and compete, play unselfish and play together. I feel like that's what we're doing now and it's showing." Jaren Jackson Jr. scored a team-high 24 points on Friday to lead four players with 20-plus points in the victory.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Grizzlies SG Dillon Brooks is 18-of-36 from 3-point range over the last four games.
2. Warriors PF Kevon Looney (abdominal) sat out the last nine games and is questionable for Sunday.
3. The teams split the first two meetings, with Golden State earning a 114-95 victory at Memphis on Nov. 19.