Thompson's Second Half Sparks Warriors Past Grizzlies
OAKLAND (AP) -- Klay Thompson scored 21 of his 31 points in the second half and the Golden State Warriors pulled away in the fourth quarter to beat the Memphis Grizzlies 106-94 on Sunday for their seventh straight win.
Stephen Curry added 21 points and 11 assists, Andre Iguodala scored 20 and Draymond Green had nine points and seven rebounds as the Warriors (59-14) extended their lead to 2 ½ games over the San Antonio Spurs in the race for the top spot in the West.
The win did more than keep Golden State in front of San Antonio. It also kicked off a stretch of five games in eight days when the Warriors will face playoff contenders Houston (twice), San Antonio and Washington.
Memphis had beaten the Warriors twice previously this season and was attempting to become the first team to notch three regular-season wins against Golden State since the Spurs' four-game sweep in 2013-14.
The Grizzlies nearly pulled it off and stayed close until the fourth quarter, when their offense went cold and the Warriors took off.
Thompson made back-to-back 3-pointer and Curry later added two of his own from beyond the arc to put Golden State up 99-88.
Memphis, which missed 15 of its first 17 shots in the fourth quarter, couldn't recover.
Mike Conley scored 29 points, Zach Randolph added 15 and JaMychal Green had 13 points and eight rebounds for the Grizzlies, who were without center Marc Gasol (left foot strain).
Even with their 7-foot-1-inch center absent, the Grizzlies gave the Warriors problems early.
Randolph had 12 points in the first half and Conley made all seven of his free-throw attempts in the second quarter to pace Memphis inside, while Green repeatedly scored from the perimeter.
Iguodala kept Golden State in it, shooting 5 of 6 with a pair of 3-pointers to help the Warriors to a 56-54 halftime lead.
TIP-INS
Grizzlies: Randolph's start was only his fourth of the season and first since Feb. 4. ... Gasol was at Oracle Arena, but watched the game from the Memphis locker room. ... The Grizzlies shot 5 of 25 overall in the fourth quarter.
Warriors: Kerr has 199 career wins as Golden State's coach. ... The 59 wins tie the 1975-76 team for third-most in franchise history. ... Iguodala froze Conley with a hesitation move, then drove past the Memphis guard for a thunderous one-handed dunk in the third quarter.
UP NEXT
Warriors: Play at the Rockets on Tuesday in the front end of a back-to-back. Golden State and Houston have split two games this season
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