Warriors vs. Grizzlies: Score, Highlights, Reaction from 2017 Regular Season

If Friday night was any indication, the Oklahoma City Thunder are going to have their hands full when Kevin Durant and the Golden State Warriors arrive at Chesapeake Energy Arena on Saturday night. 

Matched up against the Memphis Grizzlies (33-23) at FedEx Forum on the first leg of a three-game road trip, the Warriors throttled the hosts 122-107 to improve to 45-8 on the season. 

Balance reigned supreme for the Warriors once again, as Klay Thompson (36 points), Durant (24 points) and Stephen Curry (18 points) combined to overwhelm the Grizzlies' fourth-ranked defense.  

However, the story was Draymond Green—Golden State's best player on a night when he managed to post four points.

A menace beyond the scoring column, Green finished with a franchise-record 10 steals, 12 rebounds, 10 assists and five blocks as he recorded the first triple-double of its kind, per NBA.com/Stats on Twitter:  

NBA Math provided more mind-blowing context behind Green's epic performance: 

According to ESPN.com's Tim MacMahon, Green also became the first player since Brandon Roy in 2009 to notch at least 10 steals in a game. 

That effort came on a night when the Warriors followed Green's aggressive lead from the opening tip. 

Golden State dictated pace throughout the first half, and it parlayed efficiency on both ends of the floor into a 13-point lead through two quarters. 

The engine that made everything go was Green, who wreaked nearly unprecedented havoc over the first 24 minutes. By the time halftime rolled around, Green had already racked up a career-high seven steals to go with seven boards, four dimes and two blocks. 

Connor Letourneau of the San Francisco Chronicle put Green's first-half swipes in perspective: 

To exemplify just how dominant Green was, consider the Warriors were plus-20 in his 18 first-half minutes despite scoring four points during that stretch. 

Andre Iguodala also showed up in a big way, tallying a season-high 15 points in the first half alone, per Warriors PR on Twitter. 

The 2015 Finals MVP finished with 22 points total, and he helped the Dubs put the Grizzlies to bed during a lopsided third quarter that was encapsulated by a vicious JaVale McGee slam over Zach Randolph: 

Speaking of Randolph, Memphis' sixth man did all he could to keep the Grizzlies alive. In 25 minutes, the burly bruiser racked up 17 points and 13 boards. 

But with Marc Gasol in a shooting funk (17 points, 4-of-14 from the field) and the Grizzlies plagued by turnover problems from start to finish, they didn't stand a chance of keeping pace with Golden State's well-oiled machine.  

The Memphis Flyer's Kevin Lipe summed things up succinctly: 

Now the Warriors will set their sights on the Thunder, who are bracing for Durant's return Saturday night (8:30 p.m. ET on ABC).

If past meetings between the two sides in the Bay Area were any indication, tempers could flare when Durant squares off against his former teammates.

The Grizzlies, meanwhile, will have the weekend off before they travel to Barclays Center for a clash with the Brooklyn Nets on Monday. 

Postgame Reaction

After the win, Green discussed his historic outing with CSN Bay Area: 

Later, Green told reporters "he never knew he was on the verge of a triple-double because the scoreboard doesn't track all three of those stats," per Letourneau. 

"That’s as dominant a performance I've ever seen from someone who scored four points," Warriors head coach Steve Kerr added, per Letourneau. 

In Memphis' locker room, Gasol didn't sound thrilled about his side's defensive effort, according to the Commercial Appeal's Ronald Tillery: 

Finally, Grizzlies defensive ace Tony Allen heaped praise on Green in the aftermath of a dominant showing. 

"That's a lot of work to put in," he said, per MacMahon. "Draymond Green, he's definitely a first-team all-defender." 

Stats courtesy of NBA.com.