The Golden State Warriors entered their Wednesday night battle against the Memphis Grizzlies looking to get back on track after a disappointing loss to the shorthanded New York Knicks on Monday. The Warriors, from the get-go, looked motivated, shooting the lights out in hopes of returning to winning ways. That was exactly what they did, shooting 58 percent from the field en route to a 137-116 blowout victory.
The Warriors had three players score above 20 points (and Stephen Curry was not one of them), and for most of the night, they reached some sort of flow state shooting-wise that allowed them to make history. Of the 137 points they put up against the Grizzlies, 135 came as a result of a field goal (they made 58 out of 100 field goals — 39 two-pointers, 19 three-pointers); in doing so, they managed to set the record for most points in a single game for any team that made just two free throws as a team, as pointed out by Reddit user nowhathappenedwas.
One would think that the Warriors simply could not miss from the perimeter given their aversion to free throws on the night. However, the threat of their outside shot opened up a lot of opportunities in the paint; they finished the contest with 62 points in the shaded area, putting together an all-around demolition of the Grizzlies.
Stephen Curry, despite a quiet night vs. the Grizzlies, makes history as well
It was a bit surprising to see the Warriors pop off for 137 points on 58 made field goals without a stellar outing from Stephen Curry. But Curry mostly took a backseat to the likes of Jonathan Kuminga, Andrew Wiggins, and Klay Thompson — the three of whom combined for 71 points.
Nonetheless, Curry still made four of his seven triples (5-9 overall from the field) en route to a quiet 14-point night. In nailing four attempts from deep, the Warriors star now has 301 total on the season. As a result, Curry now has five seasons with 300 or more made three-pointers, accounting for 71 percent (five out of seven) of such seasons, as per Anthony Slater of The Athletic.
Only Stephen Curry's fellow Splash Brother, Klay Thompson (2022-23), and James Harden (2018-19) have crossed the 300 threes mark in a single campaign. This latest feat is yet another reminder that Curry is the greatest shooter of all-time, and it's not particularly close given how much defensive attention he draws on a nightly basis.
Warriors vs. referees – a free throw story
There have been a few instances wherein the Warriors have felt hard done by the officials after facing free-throw deficits on a near-nightly basis. Back in the second round of the 2023 playoffs, the Warriors were upset that the Los Angeles Lakers were dwarfing their number of attempts from the charity stripe, and this latest contest against the Grizzlies might be an indication of what is to come.
The Warriors, if the season were to end today, are set to face the Lakers in the play-in tournament; their difficulty in manufacturing easy buckets from the charity stripe may end up being an uphill battle they can't climb over.
Alas, in a single game, the Warriors are as big of a threat as any to pop off from beyond the arc, rendering the free-throw disparity moot. They have also won two of three contests against the Lakers this season, so their lack of free throw attempts should not be too concerning in the long run — for as long as the shooters show up in support of Stephen Curry.
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