Momentum was swinging in the direction of the Golden State Warriors.
The Memphis Grizzlies had spent most of the Oct. 23 game in the lead before Golden State stormed back in the third quarter. The Warriors continued their strong play in the fourth, building a 12-point advantage that left Memphis on the verge of its sixth straight loss to Golden State.
But the Grizzlies weren’t finished.
They rallied to tie the game, got a go-ahead basket from rookie Cam Boozer with 19.7 seconds remaining, and finished off the Warriors with a 111-108 road win at Chase Center.
The Grizzlies closed the game on a 17-2 run, scoring 17 unanswered points before Golden State’s final basket.
The game had a little bit of everything. Memphis controlled much of the first half,
but turnovers and fouls allowed Golden State to hang around. The Warriors seized control late in the third quarter and appeared poised to pull away before Boozer, Ty Jerome, Jaylen Wells and Zach Edey stepped up.
Jerome led the Grizzlies with 28 points on 11-for-22 shooting.
The victory snapped a five-game losing streak against the Warriors and an eight-game skid at Golden State.
Memphis will return to action Oct. 25 against the Sacramento Kings (8 p.m. CT, DAZN-MEM).
Here are three takeaways from the win.
Cam Boozer delivers
This game showed why the Grizzlies are excited about Boozer’s future. When Memphis needed a basket most, the ball went into the hands of its 19-year-old rookie.
Boozer had a favorable matchup with 6-foot-4 Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski defending him. But it wasn’t just the result that stood out. It was how Boozer created the opportunity.
He turned, faced up against Podziemski near the top of the 3-point line and went to work with little wasted movement. He attacked the paint before knocking down a running turnaround shot over the smaller defender for the go-ahead basket.
“Yeah, I mean I thought I had a mismatch so me and Ty (Jerome), we just talked about, for me to walk him down, I got the ball and just had to punish him and got the bucket," Boozer said.
The sequence showcased the calmness, composure, basketball IQ and talent that his teammates and coaches have praised in recent weeks.
Boozer finished with 25 points, 13 rebounds and six assists, becoming the second-youngest player in Grizzlies franchise history to record a double-double.
Grizzlies show physicality, toughness
The Grizzlies don’t look like a team that will willingly back down this season.
Whether it was Jerome, Edey and Isaiah Stewart getting physical, or Memphis winning battles on the boards, the Grizzlies made their presence felt. Edey and Boozer combined for 23 of Memphis’ 47 rebounds.
“Yeah, it’s kind of our identity," Edey said. "You get in the game like that, make it grimy, get rebounds, control the possessions, get stops. That’s kind of how we want to play.”
That toughness also showed up in the team’s response to adversity.
Jerome had just eight points in the first half before erupting for 12 in the third quarter. Wells delivered several big shots, finished with 17 points and played a key role in limiting Warriors star Stephen Curry to 5-for-15 shooting.
Memphis needed contributions from multiple players to complete the comeback, and it got them when the game was on the line.
Turnovers and free throws gave Warriors room
The win wasn’t without its flaws. The Grizzlies overcame their mistakes against Golden State, but left themselves little margin for error.
They committed 27 turnovers that led to 38 Warriors points. Golden State also held a 26-16 advantage in made free throws.
Those numbers nearly proved costly as the Warriors erased Memphis’ lead and built a double-digit advantage in the fourth quarter.
The Grizzlies ultimately did enough to overcome those issues and escape with a win. But if they want to build on this performance and compete consistently against tougher opponents, they will need to take better care of the ball and avoid giving opponents so many opportunities at the free-throw line.
Damichael Cole is the Memphis Grizzlies beat writer for The Commercial Appeal. Contact Damichael at damichael.cole@commercialappeal.com. Follow Damichael on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DamichaelC.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Cam Boozer delivers defining moment in Grizzlies' comeback vs Warriors
