De’Anthony Melton’s 23-foot three with 3:47 remaining gave Golden State a 106-94 advantage, a margin that usually buys a team at least one ugly possession and perhaps a quiet finish. The Warriors had found scoring beyond Stephen Curry, reached the line repeatedly and held enough control to make the ending seem procedural.
Instead, the basket vanished. Golden State missed its final nine field-goal attempts and lost 111-108 to Memphis on Friday at Chase Center, surrendering a 17-0 run before Yaxel Lendeborg’s final two free throws trimmed the margin. The Warriors did not lose because Curry missed a few shots. They lost because nobody converted a field goal once the Grizzlies made the game tight.
Memphis answered Melton’s shot almost immediately. Jaylen Wells hit a 24-footer with 3:34 left, then added a free throw after Curry was called for a shooting foul. Draymond Green missed a layup on Golden State’s next possession. Those moments were hardly exotic, but they kept the door open. A 12-point lead became a working target instead of a burden Memphis had to carry.
The late misses accumulated without requiring a single dramatic blunder. Curry missed from 25 feet with 2:46 remaining, and Ty Jerome missed a driving floater 12 seconds later. Jerome then made a three with 1:24 left, cutting Memphis’ deficit to 106-105.
Zach Edey blocked Curry’s 28-foot attempt with 1:10 to go, and Wells tied the score with a free throw after the ensuing sequence. Brandin Podziemski missed from 22 feet with 41.2 seconds remaining; Curry missed a 24-footer at 35.9.
Cameron Boozer supplied the shot Golden State kept waiting for. With the score even at 106, he made a 9-foot turnaround jumper with about 20 seconds left. Boozer finished with thirteen rebounds and six assists alongside twenty-five points, including four three-pointers on seven attempts and a 9-for-9 night at the stripe.
Six turnovers complicated his performance, but he still produced the two possessions that mattered most: he gathered the rebound after Curry’s late miss, then delivered the go-ahead basket.
Edey’s work was less visible on the scoring ledger and more important around the rim. He had eight points, 10 rebounds and two blocks in 22 minutes. His offensive rebound at 11:46 of the fourth quarter led to a Memphis basket that made the score 90-86; Golden State still led, but the extra chance prevented the Warriors from stretching the margin.
Edey later secured defensive rebounds after Curry’s miss at 9:07 and Gary Payton II’s miss at 8:27. His block on Curry in the final minute was the cleanest defensive play of the finish, and he grabbed the rebound after Jerami Grant missed a three with a minute left.
