Grizzlies thrashes Warriors in Western Conference

The Memphis Grizzlies dizzied the visiting Golden State Warriors on the eve of the playoffs Wednesday night, parlaying a remarkable, 86-point first half into a 132-117 shocker in the both teams' regular-season finale. The loss had no bearing on the playoff seeding for the Warriors (57-25). The two-time defending champs will enter the postseason as the top seed in the Western Conference, paired with the eighth seed in the first round that begins this weekend.

The win allowed the Grizzlies (33-49) to avoid what would have been a second straight 50-plus-loss season. Rookie Jevon Carter scored 19 of his career-high 32 points in the first half, during which the Grizzlies ran off to an 86-68 lead.

Justin Holiday, a former Warrior, had 20 of his 22 points and Bruno Caboclo 16 of his 21 in the first 24 minutes, during which the Grizzlies shot 61.7 per cent and went 14-for-23 on 3-pointers. Memphis finished 21-for-46 on threes, outscoring Golden State 63-39 from beyond the arc.

Carter, known as a defensive specialist as a collegian at West Virginia and just a second-round pick last June, had never previously scored more than 15 points in an NBA game. He came off the bench to hit all five 3-pointers he attempted in the first half and 8 of 12 for the game.

Holiday made five 3-pointers while Caboclo shot 6-for-6 from the floor in the first half en route to an 8-for-14 night. Tyler Dorsey chipped in with 18 points and Delon Wright 13 for Memphis, which closed the season strongly at home, with wins over playoff-bound Portland, Utah, Orlando, Houston and Oklahoma City among its last nine home dates.

Wright acquired in-season from Toronto, completed a triple-double, his third in the past four games, with 11 rebounds and 11 assists. Playing only the first half, Kevin Durant had 21 points and Klay Thompson 19 for the Warriors, who sat out Stephen Curry one night after he sustained what was labelled a mildly sprained foot in a win at New Orleans.

With nothing at stake, the Warriors also chose to rest Draymond Green, DeMarcus Cousins and Shaun Livingston. Jordan Bell had 15 points and a team-high eight rebounds for the Warriors, who had won the first three games of the season series from the Grizzlies. Marcus Derrickson (13 points), Damion Lee (10) and Quinn Cook (10) also scored in double figures for Golden State, which finished the season with a 27-14 road record. 

(With inputs from agencies.)