Quick analysis of the heroes: Podziemski celebrates his birthday with a dominant victory over the Grizzlies

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

The birthday boy led a short-handed Warriors team to a 133-112 bounce-back victory on the second night of a back-to-back, both playing the role of floor general he wants to play, while moving the ball and playing outside as the coaching staff desires as well.

He scored 19 points, had six assists and grabbed eight rebounds and helped the Warriors bounce back from a 113-109 loss to New Orleans.

The crowd was slow to fill the FedEx Forum on Wednesday evening, a surprising development considering the two players whose jerseys filled the stands – Steph Curry and Ja Morant – were inactive.

Although the lights have star power, the Warriors had no problem recording the Grizzlies. Each of the nine active players made a 3-pointer and scored at least seven points, and the visitors passed the ball around to get any shot they wanted.

Al Horford had 10 points and seven rebounds, Gary Payton II had 19 points, Moses Moody had 14, Gui Santos had 17 points and Will Richard had 21 as eight different Golden State players scored in 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.

Even though Draymond Green sat out against the Grizzlies with a back injury, the offense didn’t appear to be hurting early. The Warriors took a 34-31 lead into the second quarter after Golden State had 10 of 14 assists.

They came out in the second quarter, taking a 74-53 lead into the locker room while outscoring the Grizzlies 40-22 at halftime. The Grizzlies scored 12 points in the third, but a series of cuts and offensive rebounds by Gui Santos and Will Richard restored the advantage to 20 points at the end of three quarters.

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

Scratched green

A few hours before receiving the report, Green appeared on the injury report with a lower back, along with an additional note that he was injured.

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

“He already got hit last night, and his back is tight today, so we’re going to keep him out and get him ready for the next (game),” Kerr said. “Just manage it day-by-day, week-by-week, and see how you feel … with the older guys, you definitely have to take them slow and pace them and give them a chance to recover to avoid major injuries.”

Joining Green on the bench in road clothes was De’Anthony Melton, who sat out the second half of the back-to-back. Kerr did not have information on Kristaps Porzingis, who has missed the past two games with an undisclosed illness.

Meeting everywhere

About an hour before the teams split, Warriors guard Pat Spencer sat next to him and chatted with his younger brother Cam, the Grizzlies’ shooting guard. When the game was over, Pat scored 12 points and Cam scored five.

Their meeting did not end there. Will Richard faced his former Gators teammate and part of the starting backcourt for the 2025 NCAA champions in Walter Clayton Jr. The two attended a Florida game during the All-Star break.

Finally, Warriors assistant coach Kris Weems enjoyed a long chat with Stanford teammate and former Grizzlies analyst Brevin Knight. The two helped power some of the Cardinals’ formidable teams in the 90s.

Leons looks enthusiastic

With half of the roster unavailable, two-way forward Malevy Leons got a chance to play extended minutes in Memphis.

He drove most of them crazy.

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

Instead of over-dragging, the forward combo kept the ball moving. He battled on the boards and grabbed five offensive rebounds. Leons didn’t force a shot, instead only taking a rebound and an open three in the corner.