SAN FRANCISCO — Sunday night’s game at Chase Center came with a little extra juice.
The aging Warriors might be the reigning champs, but their slow start this season makes you think they’re graduating to old guard status. The Memphis Grizzlies are young, loud, brash and eager to vanquish the Dubs and end the dynasty days.
As such, it wasn’t a surprise to see emotions running high Sunday. A lot of chirping. A lot of trash talk. Jordan Poole with a lot to say. At one point, Warriors owner Joe Lacob and his wife got out of their seats after Dillon Brooks yelled something in their direction. Even 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel was talking smack to Brooks courtside and high-fiving Poole after big shots.
Despite being without Steph Curry and Andrew Wiggins, the enigmatic Warriors showed they can still run with the best of ‘em, as a much improved defense helped Golden State earn an intense 123-109 victory.
The game’s defining image came with a few minutes left in the fourth quarter – when Klay Thompson taunted Brooks after shaking him and splashing a jumper. As Brooks struggled on his backside on the floor, Klay stood over him like a menace. The technical foul he got a few seconds later was well worth it, as he had Chase Center going wild like it was last season.
Once he cooled down, Klay didn't make much of the incident, despite his huge on-court emotions.
"Just some good old fashioned trash talk," Thompson said while munching on some popcorn. "I didn’t think it warranted a technical but I forgot about the taunting rule."
Brooks was clearly steaming in the locker room after the loss, though, with some harsh words about the officials.
“Refs let it happen," Brooks said, via Drew Hill of the Daily Memphian. "He was doing it all game then they want to catch the bad guy. That’s wack to me. F**king up calls and putting the wrong guys at the free-throw line. It was a circus. Should have had different refs.”
Klay is known for his even-keel attitude but being a silent killer. Earlier this year, he busted out Game 6 Klay to end the Grizzlies season. He let out the assassin again Sunday night, scoring 17 points in the second half.
"Klay is crazy, man," teammate Donte DiVincenzo said. "That’s all I gotta say."
Careful what you wish for on Christmas.
Just a few days ago, Brooks told reporters he was looking forward to defending Klay, since Curry was out due to a shoulder injury.
"I got Klay," Brooks said Thursday. "I like that matchup a little better because he was talking a little smack before when we lost."
Thompson logged a season-high 40 minutes as he helped Chase Center get back to playoff-level volume in the second half. Klay scored 24 points with nine rebounds while going 8-of-25 from the field and 3-of-12 from 3-point land. Brooks finished with 13 points (4-of-12 FG, 1-of-6 3FG) while getting five fouls.
Klay often rises to big occasions and he gifted Dub Nation with another epic moment, in his first Christmas Day game since 2018.
"It was such an incredible day for me," Thompson said. "The efficient nights are coming, the big nights are coming. ... I couldn’t have had a better Christmas."
The animosity has been brewing between these two franchises. Golden State of course, ended Memphis' season in the second round of the playoffs earlier this year. The six-game series was an intense one, as Brooks was ejected in Game 2 after fouling Gary Payton II hard, leading to a fractured elbow.
Klay probably remembers the smack talk from last regular season, too. After the Grizzlies blew out a shorthanded Warriors squad last March, Jaren Jackson Jr. sent out a tweet saying "Strength in Numbers." Klay brought it up unprompted after the Warriors won the title last year and referenced the tweet, calling Jackson a "bum."
In his postgame interview with ESPN on Sunday, Klay was also still hanging on to some words from Brooks after that March matchup, as the Grizzlies forward said Memphis wanted to "keep building this dynasty." The Grizzlies have never been to the Finals, let alone won a championship.
"They were talking dynasty and all that," Thompson told Lisa Salters. "You can't talk dynasty if you haven't won before. I don't think people realize how hard that is. ... I thought that was premature talk, but they bring the best out of us."
Last week, a reporter asked Morant if he had any worries about emerging out of the Western Conference to reach the NBA Finals for the first time in Grizzlies franchise history.
“I’m fine in the West,” Morant said.
Well, the Warriors are still here. Their 16-18 record means they have plenty of work to do to reach the postseason, but the path to the West still runs through San Francisco until they get knocked off.
The Dubs put together a solid team effort Sunday.
Poole dropped 32 points before getting ejected for chirping with officials early in the fourth quarter. Draymond Green was locked in all game and put together another unique stat line, with three points, 13 rebounds, 13 assists, a steal, two blocks and a technical foul. Donte DiVincenzo kept up his recent streak of hot shooting, knocking down five 3-pointers en route to 19 points as a starter. Ty Jerome earned a lot of praise from Steve Kerr for scoring eight of his 14 points in the third-quarter burst to help secure control of the game. Jerome finished with a team-high +23 in 22 minutes.
The Warriors and Grizzlies will clash three more times in the regular season and the stakes should rise with the return of Curry. Their next matchup will be on Jan. 25 at Chase Center.
"They're talented, we're talented," Thompson said. "We're seasoned. We're trying to hold these young bucks off as long as we can. We know it's a tall task, it's a long season. It was a good night to send 'em a message, because you never know who you'll see down the road."
