The Memphis Grizzlies came from 12 points down in the final 3 minutes and 47 seconds to beat the Golden State Warriors 111-108 on Friday night in San Francisco, according to The Associated Press.
Rookie Cameron Boozer made the go-ahead jumper with 20 seconds left and finished with 25 points and 13 rebounds, according to the Associated Press reports carried by TSN and theScore. Ty Jerome led Memphis with 28 points, following his career-high 45-point performance in the season opener against Utah.
Golden State had looked in control. According to the Associated Press, De'Anthony Melton's three-pointer with 3:47 remaining put the Warriors ahead 106-94, but Golden State then missed nine shots and failed to score a field goal for the rest of the game. Stephen Curry led the Warriors with 24 points, while Brandin Podziemski and rookie Yaxel Lendeborg added 18 points each.
The comeback unfolded quickly. According to the Associated Press, Jerome's three-pointer with 1:24 left pulled Memphis to 106-105, Curry had a three blocked by Zach Edey, and Jaylen Wells tied the game at 106 on a free throw. After Curry and Podziemski each missed threes, Boozer delivered the go-ahead jumper for a 108-106 lead with 20.1 seconds left.
The closing seconds were tense: Draymond Green was called for an offensive foul, and a technical foul on Warriors coach Steve Kerr with 12.8 seconds remaining allowed Jerome to extend the lead with a free throw and a layup. Lendeborg made two free throws with half a second left to cut the margin to three, but Memphis ran out the clock, according to the Associated Press.
The win moves Memphis to 2-0 to start the season, while Golden State has dropped its first two games for the first time since 2020-21, according to the Associated Press. The game also featured two top rookies — Boozer, the No. 3 pick, and Lendeborg, selected 11th overall — and a pair of double-technical fouls in a testy contest. What happens next for Golden State is a search for late-game execution; for Memphis, it is proof that a young team can win on the road when a game looks lost.
Photo: GoBlue9, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.