Green grabs NBA first in Warriors win over Grizzlies

Draymond Green produced an unprecedented triple-double of 12 rebounds, 10 assists and 10 steals Friday as the Golden State Warriors mauled the Grizzlies 122-107 in Memphis.

Published : Feb 11, 2017 12:25 IST , Los Angeles

Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) drives the ball on a fast break past Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol (33).
Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) drives the ball on a fast break past Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol (33).
lightbox-info

Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) drives the ball on a fast break past Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol (33).

Draymond Green produced an unprecedented triple-double of 12 rebounds, 10 assists and 10 steals Friday as the Golden State Warriors mauled the Grizzlies 122-107 in Memphis.

Green put up just four points, becoming the first player in NBA history to post a triple-double without hitting double digits in points. "It's pretty amazing to be the only one of something in NBA history, something good," Green said.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr called it "as dominant a performance as I've seen from somebody who scored four points."

And the Warriors didn't need more from him offensively, with team-mate Klay Thompson scoring 36, Kevin Durant adding 24 and Stephen Curry contributing 18 as Golden State turned the tables on the only team to beat the team twice this season.

The Grizzlies, which beat the Warriors 110-89 in Memphis in December and rallied from 24 down for a 128-119 overtime win in Oakland in January, was never ahead in this one and never looked like it would get there.

Thompson opened the contest by hitting three three-pointers. Golden State led 62-49 by halftime and by as many as 26 points in the fourth quarter as it improved its league-leading record to 45-8. "We didn't want to lose to this team three times in a row," Thompson said.

Curry added: "We have a certain sense of pride on this team."

Spurs cruises past Pistons

It was a wire-to-wire win too for the San Antonio Spurs, which rolled to a 103-92 victory over the Pistons in Detroit. Kawhi Leonard scored 32 points, pulled down six rebounds and handed out five assists and LaMarcus Aldridge contributed 19 points and 11 rebounds for the Spurs, which also got a big night from Dewayne Dedmon, who continued to shine starting in place of injured big man Pau Gasol.

Dedmon had a season-high 17 points and career-high 17 rebounds, helping keep Detroit center Andre Drummond in check.

"He hit the boards hard, he ran the floor, his energy, his aggressiveness, his defense -- he was fantastic in that regard," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said of Dedmon.

Streaking Heat

The Miami Heat stretched its winning streak to 13 games — the longest in the league this season — with a 108-99 comeback victory over the Brooklyn Nets.

James Johnson came off the bench to score 26 points. Goran Dragic added 21 for the Heat, which erased an 11-point third-quarter deficit.

The Washington Wizards got back to winning on its home floor with a 112-107 victory over the Indiana Pacers. The Wizards saw its home win streak halted at 17 games in a dramatic overtime defeat to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday. But it was back on top in front of home fans in a clash of two of the league's hottest teams.

John Wall scored 26 points and handed out 14 assists. Markieff Morris added 26 points and 10 rebounds and Bradley Beal chipped in 20 points for the Wizards.

Since falling to the NBA champion Cavs the Wizards had gone on the road to beat the Nets in Brooklyn. But Beal said the team was especially focused on winning again at home. "We just wanted to come back home and make sure we got off to an even better start," he said. "Get our streak back on."

The Wizards beat the Pacers for the second time in three games this season. The defeat dropped Indiana three games behind third-seeded Washington in the Eastern Conference standings, with the teams due to meet again on Thursday.

New Orleans star Anthony Davis posted his sixth 40-point game of the season to lead the Pelicans to a 122-106 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Minneapolis.

Davis's 42 points were key as the Pelicans rallied from a 15-point first-half deficit. He connected on 16 of 22 shots from the field, including two of three from three-point range.

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment