Golden State @ Memphis preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 17, 2018 ) Memphis 93, Golden State 110

The Golden State Warriors bounced back from an embarrassing loss by easing past the Detroit Pistons on Sunday and are still searching for some consistency as they head down the stretch to the postseason. The Warriors will try to put together back-to-back victories when they visit the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday in the opener of a two-game trip.

Golden State pounded the Indiana Pacers 112-89 on Thursday, got rocked by the Dallas Mavericks in a 126-91 loss on Saturday and closed the three-game homestand by brushing aside Detroit 121-114, reaching 50 wins in the process. "It's hard for anybody to understand what these guys go through, physically, emotionally, spiritually, trying to defend the crown, trying to win the title, trying to stay on top of the mountain. It's hard," Warriors coach Steve Kerr told reporters. "And (Saturday) night they had nothing, we had nothing in the tank. And the great thing about this team is they always bounce back because they have so much pride." The Grizzlies are playing for pride and are battling some of the teams in the Western Conference playoff bracket tough, including a 115-103 win over Oklahoma City on Monday. "Just the fight (in this team)," Memphis coach J.B. Bickerstaff told reporters. "That's what we've been talking about for awhile, just how hard can guys compete? Can they raise their level of competition when it matters most? Our guys play extremely hard."

TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBCS Bay Area (Golden State), FS South (Memphis)

ABOUT THE WARRIORS (50-23): Golden State shot 40 percent from the floor against Dallas but boosted that number to 62.2 percent the next night. "No matter what that game was, no matter what time of year it is, you get beat by 40, you don't want to get embarrassed like that again," All-Star forward Kevin Durant told reporters. "Or just lose the next night. So, I think we came out with a nice sense of urgency. We let go of that game, but everybody in that locker room, from the coaches on down, are competitors. In the back of their mind, they just wanted to kind of avenge that terrible loss. So, I like that energy from the start." Durant attempted just six shots in 35 minutes on Sunday but hit five of them and finished with 14 points and 11 assists in the win.

ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES (30-44): Memphis is trying to lay the foundation for next season and got an encouraging performance on Monday from point guard Delon Wright, who handed out a career-high 13 assists with starting point guard Mike Conley nursing a thigh injury. "Coaches have been doing a good job of just telling me to keep penetrating into the paint and either finish or find my teammates on the perimeter," Wright told reporters. "I think I did a good job of that today and it translated into assists." Several of those assists ended up in the hands of small forward Bruno Caboclo, who scored a career-high 24 points.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Warriors PF Kevon Looney went 4-of-4 from the floor on Sunday and is shooting 82.1 percent from the floor in March.

2. Memphis C Jonas Valanciunas recorded 18 points and 14 rebounds on Monday for his fourth consecutive double-double.

3. Golden State enjoys a four-game winning streak in the series and took the first two meetings this season by an average of 16.5 points.

PREDICTION: Warriors 114, Grizzlies 111