Warriors instant analysis: Podziemski celebrates birthday by leading blowout victory over Grizzlies

MEMPHIS – Brandin Podziemski turned 23 years old as the calendar turned to Wednesday morning, but he waited until the evening in Memphis to really celebrate. 

The birthday boy led a shorthanded Warriors team to a bounce-back 133-112 victory on the second night of a back-to-back, both playing the role of floor general he wants to play, while also moving the ball and playing off it like the coaching staff desires, too. 

Podziemski scored 19 points, had six assists and grabbed eight rebounds while helping the Warriors bounce back from a loss to New Orleans the night before.

“We set (the tone) really on the defensive end to start the game,” Podziemski said, not wanting to discuss his own big stat line. “Just set a tone, got some easy ones.”

The crowd was slow to fill out FedEx Forum on Wednesday evening, an unsurprising development considering the two players whose jersey dotted the stands – Steph Curry and Ja Morant – were both inactive. 

Though light on star power, the Warriors had no issue carving up the Grizzlies. Each of the  nine active Warriors made a 3-pointer and scored at least seven points, and the visitors pinged the ball from side to side to find whatever shot they wanted. 

Will Richard scored 21 points, Al Horford scored 10 and grabbed seven rebounds, Gary Payton II put up 19 points, Gui Santos dropped 17 points and Moses Moody had 14 as eight different Golden State players hit double figures.

The Warriors made 53% of their shots and 19 of 46 from behind the arc. They had 37 assists on 49 made baskets. 

“Just a really good night for everybody who stepped on the floor,” Kerr said, later adding, “I’m really enjoying coaching these guys. The energy, the enthusiasm, supporting each other. It’s really fun.”

Even though Draymond Green sat out against the Grizzlies with a back injury, the offense did not seem to suffer early on. The Warriors took a 34-31 lead into the second quarter after Golden State had 10 assists on 14 made baskets. 

They pulled away in the second quarter, taking a comfortable 74-53 lead into the halftime locker room after outsourcing the Grizzlies 40-22 in the period. The Grizzlies got the lead down to 12 points in the third, but a series of cuts and offensive rebounds by Santos and Richard pushed the advantage back to 20 points at the end of three quarters. 

The Warriors (31-28) will have two days off before playing host to the Lakers at Chase Center on Saturday. 

Green scratched

A couple hours before tipoff, Green appeared on the injury report with a lower back ailment, and an added note that he was being injury managed. 

Green had missed Sunday’s game with a sore back, and after an uber-physical matchup against DeAndre Jordan, Derik Queen and the bulky Pelicans on Tuesday, the coaching staff decided to play it safe. 

“He’s already beaten up from last night, and his back acted up today, so we’ll keep him out and get him ready for the next (game),” Kerr said before the game. “Just manage it day by day, week by week, and see how he’s feeling … with the older guys, you absolutely have to monitor them and pace them and give them the chance for recovery to avoid bigger injuries.”

Joining Green on the bench in street clothes was De’Anthony Melton, who sat the second part of the back-to-back. Kerr had no update on Kristaps Porzingis, who has missed the past two games with an unspecified illness. 

Reunions everywhere

For almost an hour before the teams squared off, Warriors guard Pat Spencer sat next to and conversed with his younger brother Cam, a shooting guard on the Grizzlies. Once the game tipped off, Pat scored 12 points while Cam scored five.

The reunions did not end there. Richard faced off against former Gators teammate and other half of the starting backcourt for the 2025 NCAA champions in Walter Clayton Jr. The two had attended a Florida game during the All-Star break.

Lastly, Warriors assistant coach Kris Weems enjoyed a long conversation with onetime Stanford teammate and current Grizzlies commentator Brevin Knight. The two helped power some fearsome Cardinal teams during the late-90s. 

Leons looks lively

With half of the roster unavailable, Warriors two-way player Malevy Leons received an opportunity to play extended minutes in Memphis.

He made the most of them. 

Leons helped key a 29-9 run in the second quarter to help the Warriors pull away from the similarly-undermanned Grizzlies. He helped the cause by playing within himself.

Instead of overdribbling, the combo forward kept the ball moving. He battled on the boards with eight rebounds, including five offensive rebounds. Leons did not force up shots, instead only taking putbacks and an open three from the corner while scoring nine points on 3 of 5 shooting. 

“I was just trying to play hard, trying to defend, compete and rebound,” Leons said. “I was excited and ready to go, and those chances don’t come around often.”