Warriors vs. Grizzlies: Score, Highlights and Reaction from 2016 Regular Season

The Golden State Warriors drew one step closer to NBA history Saturday, notching their 71st victory of the season with a gritty 100-99 win over the Memphis Grizzlies at the FedEx Forum.

Facing an injury-depleted Memphis squad helped the visitors' cause, yet the Grizzlies played inspired basketball at the Grindhouse.

Memphis trailed 53-50 at halftime, but Vince Carter got a rare start and had a game-high 13 points at the break for the hosts. Kevin Lipe of the Memphis Flyer put the 39-year-old's high level of play into context:

GSWStats noted Golden State's usually reliable bench wasn't making things easier for its starting five:

Stephen Curry missed all five of his three-point attempts in the opening half and was 3-of-14 from beyond the arc overall, but he found other ways to make his mark, notching nine rebounds and eight assists.

Athletic Warriors big man Festus Ezeli was the recipient of two Curry dimes in the first quarter:

ESPN Stats & Info noted Curry was struggling to get going from beyond the arc, which has been an issue lately:

The same was true for the other Splash Brother, Klay Thompson, who had 20 points but missed eight of 10 three-point attempts on the evening. Curry missed two threes in the final 30 seconds, leaving the door open for Memphis to attempt a game-winner.

On Memphis' final possession, Lance Stephenson had two wild shots at a victory but clanged his last one off the side of the backboard. Stephenson appeared to be fouled on the latter attempt, though the officials did not call it.

Mark Schanowski of CSN Chicago felt Stephenson deserved a trip to the charity stripe:

Sporting News' Adi Joseph didn't concur with the Grizzlies' final play design:

Bruce Arthur of the Toronto Star had a humorous take on the ending sequence:

A number of misses on open looks contributed to Curry's down numbers and thus made the final outcome tight, but so did the perimeter defense Grizzlies rookie Xavier Munford played.

The Memphis floor general has done a commendable job of taking on an unfathomable opportunity. NBA writer Matt Moore reacted to Munford's solid play on both ends of the floor:

Munford helped spark an 11-0 Grizzlies run to put them up 74-65 in the third quarter. He wound up with eight points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals as an excellent bench contributor.

At that juncture, The Vertical's Michael Lee noted how hard it was to comprehend that the Grizzlies were winning based on what happened earlier in the 2015-16 campaign:

Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News touched on the tactical dilemma for Warriors head coach Steve Kerr as his side entered the last quarter trailing 78-70:

Curry and Draymond Green wound up sitting until 6:20 remained on the game clock and Golden State was trailing 90-80. They made a big difference by having a hand in the majority of the Warriors' points down the stretch.

Green found Curry off a pick-and-roll for a key three and converted a three-point play off a Curry pass to cut the deficit to 97-95 after two straight buckets by Memphis' Zach Randolph.

A phenomenal display of ball-handling by Curry, who was guarded by Randolph, allowed Harrison Barnes to break free for a go-ahead three with 1:39 left. Then Green tipped in Curry's shot off the glass to lift Golden State to a 100-99 advantage—a lead it didn't relinquish.

Matt Barnes led all scorers with 24 points and pulled down 15 rebounds in defeat for the Grizzlies, catalyzing a gallant effort that nearly upended Golden State's quest for 73 wins.

Thanks to another stat sheet-stuffing outing from Green—23 points on 10-of-14 shooting, 11 rebounds, four assists and three blocks—the Warriors came out on top.

CSN's John Middlekauff praised Green for his ongoing brilliance in his best season to date:

It's hard to blame the Dubs for a lethargic effort against an opponent that appeared to be undermanned and outmatched. However, that's precisely how the Grizzlies have managed to remain in the postseason picture despite being ravaged by injuries.

ESPN's Skip Bayless made sure to point out the tough contest on tap for Golden State:

The Warriors are one victory away from matching the 1995-96 Bulls' record of 72 wins in a single season. Golden State will have to get its next victory against the NBA's second-best team, the San Antonio Spurs.

Sunday's clash with the Spurs is in San Antonio. Although Golden State won the prior meeting, 112-101, one of its nine regular-season losses came on the road to the Spurs on March 19, which was also the second game of a back-to-back.

Similar circumstances precede the fourth and final showdown between the Western Conference's best. The Warriors had to fight harder than expected in Memphis, which may have an undermining impact on their continuing quest for NBA immortality.

Postgame Reaction

Sports 56 WHBQ's Peter Edmiston captured all of what was a rather brief media session from Grizzlies head coach Dave Joerger afterward:

Golden State big man Marreese Speights tweeted his reaction to the win:

Barnes said, per the Warriors' official Twitter feed, "It was a grind-out effort, it wasn't pretty, but we got it done and there's another one tomorrow."

Kerr didn't seem to give much thought to the all-time regular-season wins record, saying, per Clay Bailey of the Commercial Appeal, "I shouldn't say this, but I don't care that much. I know the players do, I just want to be fresh and ready for the playoffs."

According to ESPN's Ethan Strauss, Andre Iguodala echoed Kerr's sentiments when talking about such accomplishments, saying, "Not at all. Winning the championship was probably the only time I was like, yo that was really cool."

When asked whether he was worried about losing the chance to notch 73 regular-season wins, Iguodala added, "Nah. Not at all."