Star point guards Ja Morant and Stephen Curry will continue a tightly contested rivalry when the Memphis Grizzlies and Golden State Warriors duel Monday night in San Francisco.
Both teams enter the game 2-1, having taken different paths to get there.
The Grizzlies won two of three on a season-opening homestand, dropping only the middle game, 146-114 to the Miami Heat on Friday.
They bounced back on the second night of a back-to-back Saturday, thumping the Indiana Pacers 128-103.
The Warriors also endured a back-to-back in their last two games, winning 137-131 in overtime at home over the Denver Nuggets on Thursday night before falling 139-119 at Portland on Friday.
Not surprisingly, Morant and Curry have led the way for their teams so far.
Morant blitzed the New Orleans Pelicans for 35 points on opening night before totaling 31 points to complement 14 assists in the Grizzlies’ last two games. He leads the team in scoring with 22.0 points per game, while going 20-for-21 at the free throw line, and is tied with Javon Small in assists (5.7).
Morant missed much of the preseason with an ankle injury and was questionable for two of Memphis’ three games so far. But he admitted to reporters last week he’s excited about a new-look team.
Cedric Coward scored 14, 16 and 27 points in his first three NBA games, and fellow rookie Small chipped in with 16 points and six assists against Indiana.
“I’ve got the utmost trust and confidence in my teammates,” Morant said. “When the ball’s moving and everyone’s in rhythm, that’s when we’re at our best.”
Morant and Curry have gone head-to-head 10 times in their careers, including three times in the 2022 playoffs when the Warriors advanced in six games. Morant was injured in the third game.
The Memphis star outscored his rival in all three of their head-to-heads in the playoff series, and it took a 52-point explosion from Curry in their last meeting — April at Memphis — to go ahead 6-4 in their all-time meetings.
Curry will enter the 11th encounter with plenty of momentum after scoring 42 points in Golden State’s home win over the Denver Nuggets and 35 at Portland. He was 13 of 26 on 3-pointers in those games and is 20-for-20 on free throws this season.
Curry has totaled 100 points while registering an NBA first along the way. At 37, he became the oldest point guard to score 35 or more points in consecutive games.
Curry admitted he was prouder of the fact that the Warriors went 2-1 to open the season while playing three games in four nights.
“Coach (Steve Kerr) used to say, ‘Win the week,’ which is the big deal,” Curry said. “And considering the schedule — back-to-back, three in four nights, three different cities — win the week. Keep doing that over the course of the year, you’ll be in good shape at the end.”
