Warriors 100, Grizzlies 93

OAKLAND, Calif. — Golden State point guard Stephen Curry capped a 33-point night with two hoops, including a 3-pointer, in a 14-0 run to close the game as the Warriors rallied from seven down to stun the Memphis Grizzlies 100-93 on Friday night.

The win pushed Golden State (45-27) two games ahead of Memphis (43-29) in the race for the sixth playoff spot in the Western Conference and tied the teams’ season series — a potential first playoff-position tiebreaker — at 2-2.

After being held to seven points in the first eight-plus minutes of the fourth quarter as they watched a three-point lead turn into a 93-86 deficit, the Warriors got a driving hoop from shooting guard Klay Thompson with 3:14 to go to trigger the difference-making run.

Backup power forward Draymond Green made it a two-point game with a 3-pointer on Golden State’s next possession, and the Warriors tied the score 93-all on two free throws by backup center Jermaine O’Neal with 2:04 left.

Then Curry took over. First he buried a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 1:21 to play for a lead the Warriors never relinquished before converting a driving layup that made it a five-point game with 30.9 seconds left.

Thompson completed the run, and the night’s scoring, with two free throws with 5.6 seconds left.

The Grizzlies, who shot 50.6 percent from the field, missed their last six shots and went scoreless in the final 4:02.

Curry had eight assists to complement his 33 points on a night when he made 5-of-8 from beyond the 3-point arc. Green (12 points) added two 3s as Golden State outscored Memphis 27-6 on 3-pointers.

Maurice Speights, starting at power forward in place of injured David Lee, contributed 15 points and eight rebounds to the win. The Warriors outrebounded the Grizzlies 43-33 despite playing without Lee and center Andrew Bogut for the final 44 minutes after the veteran big man suffered a pelvic contusion.

Power forward Zach Randolph had 21 points for Memphis, which had won its five previous trips to Oakland, including an 88-81 overtime affair earlier in the season.

Point guard Mike Conley added 20 points and center Marc Gasol had 17 for the Grizzlies.

The Warriors caught fire after they could not buy a hoop earlier in the fourth quarter.

Down 79-76 entering the final quarter, Memphis used a stingy defense and four consecutive hoops by Conley to build a 93-86 lead with 4:02 to play. The Warriors had only three field goals in more than eight minutes to begin the quarter.

But the game then swung when Conley missed a 3 that could have extended the margin to 10 with 3:30 to play.

Instead, the Warriors dominated the rest of the game, holding the Grizzlies scoreless to enable the come-from-behind win.

After trailing by as many as seven in the first half and 53-52 at intermission, the Grizzlies burst into their biggest lead of the night, 66-58, with a 12-2 run early in the third quarter. Shooting guard Courtney Lee began the spurt with a three-point play and Randolph capped it with three consecutive hoops.

But the Warriors got the best of the rest of the quarter, regaining a 79-76 advantage thanks to 12 Curry points.

Always dependent on big men Gasol and Randolph no matter the competition, the Grizzlies caught a break when Lee could not go because of a hamstring strain suffered in Golden State’s previous game against San Antonio.

That advantage inside magnified just four minutes into the game when Gasol crashed leg first into Bogut’s midsection, sending the Warriors center to the locker room for the rest of the night with what was labeled a pelvic contusion.

Playing at a faster pace without their starting power forward and center, the Warriors went up by as many as seven early on with guard Thompson (eight points) and Curry (six) leading the way.

Meanwhile, the Grizzlies initially could not take advantage inside, with Gasol (2-for-7) and Randolph (2-for-5) missing eight of their first 12 shots from the field.

The Warriors led by three after one quarter and by one, 53-52, at the half. Curry led all scorers in the first 24 minutes with 14 points.

NOTES: The Warriors have not had back-to-back 45-win seasons since 1975-76 and ’76-77. … The game matched two of the best defenses in the league since the All-Star break. The Warriors entered the game having allowed opponents to shoot 42.9 percent since the break, the second-best mark in the league. The Grizzlies ranked third at 43.3 percent. … The Grizzlies’ franchise record for consecutive wins at a road site is six. They currently have six-game winning streaks at Minnesota and Detroit. … Before the game, the rival coaches offered different views on Golden State’s five-day break leading into Friday’s game. “The break was a good thing,” Warriors coach Mark Jackson insisted. “Guys got healthy, guys got treatment and we practiced.” Grizzlies coach Dave Joerger countered, “With five days off, things could go a lot of different ways. They could come out real sharp. Or they could feel like they’re shooting a square ball.”