MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Vince Williams Jr. scored 24, GG Jackson added a career-high 23 points and the Memphis Grizzlies defeated the Golden State Warriors 116-107 on Monday night in the return of Draymond Green from his league suspension.
Jaren Jackson Jr. finished with 18 points despite going 4 of 20 from the field.
Stephen Curry led the Warriors with 26 points, and Jonathan Kuminga finished with 20 and 11 rebounds. Andrew Wiggins scored 16.
Green, suspended by the league indefinitely after he hit Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic in the face Dec. 12, played 23 minutes, scoring seven points.
The game was close throughout with neither team holding a double-digit lead in the first three quarters. Memphis went on a 10-1 run in the fourth to lead 110-98 with four minutes left, enough for Memphis to snap its two-game losing streak.
The game was the annual celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day for the Grizzlies. The civil rights icon was killed by an assassin’s bullet in 1968 on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel, a short distance south of FedExForum where the Grizzlies play their home games.
The Grizzlies are dealing with injuries that had seven players unavailable for for Monday’s game, including Memphis’ top five scorers. However, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Santi Aldama, who both missed Saturday’s loss to the Clippers, did return.
The Warriors shot 51% in the first half, but was only 28% from outside the arc. That, coupled with eight Golden State turnovers kept Memphis close, the Warriors leading 56-45 at intermission. Golden State couldn’t create any distance from the makeshift Grizzlies.
There was a smaller-than-expected crowd for the game due to temperatures in the teens and about 6 inches of snow in Memphis. The Grizzlies — anticipating the small crowd — announced two hours before the game that any ticket-holder unable to attend because of the wintry conditions could exchange their tickets for one of the next three home games — Jan. 23 against Orlando; Jan. 29 against the Sacramento Kings or Feb. 1 against the Cavaliers.
UP NEXT
Warriors: Close a four-game road trip at Utah on Wednesday.
Grizzlies: Start a four-game road trip on Thursday at Minnesota.
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