The Golden State Warriors continued their strong start to the season on Friday evening, defeating the Memphis Grizzlies 123-118, improving to 10-2 and taking over first place from West Group C in the 2024 Emirates NBA Cup regular season tournament.

It was a game that wasn’t nearly as close as the final score was, but Memphis erased most of a 24-point Warriors lead once the outcome was decided, which they were encouraged to do because the NBA Cup uses the point difference as a tiebreaker . . It was also a balanced game for the Dubs, with six different players scoring in double figures and no one scoring 20 points.

Now let’s rate the players. As always, the grades are based on my expectations for each player, with a “B” grade representing that player’s average performance.

Note: True-shooting percentage (TS) is a scoring efficiency measure that takes into account threes and free throws. When participating in Friday’s matches, the league average TS was 57.4%.

Draymond Green

30 minutes, 13 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 1 turnover, 3 fouls, 5-for-11 shooting, 3-for-7 threes, 59.1% TS, +6

Just a vintage Draymond play, with his new-found three-point stroke sprinkled in.

He flirted with a triple-double, took care of the basketball, quarterbacked offense and defense, and was a disruptive defender.

He also got his first ejection of the year, and I’d almost give him credit that it happened in a game that was already decided.

Quality: A-
Post-game bonus: Led the team in assists and tied for the team lead in rebounds.

Lindy Waters III

11 minutes, 8 points, 1 assist, 1 block, 1 turnover, 1 foul, 3-for-4 shooting, 2-for-3 threes, 100.0% TS, +3

In a very Steve Kerr move, Waters, who would otherwise have been out of the rotation, was inserted into the starting lineup to both replace De’Anthony Melton and keep the bench rotations intact.

He got off to a rough start, fouling a three-point shooter for the game’s first points, but then he rebounded and excelled, scoring the Warriors’ first five points and having a hyper-efficient night. Unfortunately, he also landed awkwardly while blocking a shot in the second quarter, injuring his knee. He didn’t come back.

Quality: A-

Trayce Jackson Davis

18 minutes, 9 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 2 turnovers, 2 fouls, 3-of-5 shooting, 3-of-4 free throws, 66.6% TS, -1

Lots of good things from TJD in this game, including him bouncing back from a rough free throw performance on Tuesday and having a strong game at the charity stripe. He’s really stepped up his aggression on both ends of the court lately, and it’s paying off, even if there have been some growing pains along the way.

Grade: B+

Andreas Wiggins

21 minutes, 13 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block, 2 fouls, 5-for-15 shooting, 1-for-4 threes, 2-for-2 free throws, 40.9% TS, + 4

Not a very good evening for Wiggins, who has otherwise had a sensational start to the year. He didn’t seem that involved on either side of the field in this game, even though he had a very nice stretch in the first quarter. There just wasn’t much aggression on offense or defense, and he struggled shooting the ball.

Grade: C

Steph Curry

26 minutes, 13 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals, 3 turnovers, 2 fouls, 4-for-9 shooting, 3-for-7 threes, 2-for-2 free throws, 65.8% TS, + 9

If you’re still one of those absurd people who thinks Curry is just a shooter, well… then this game was for you. Curry only took nine shots all night, but he felt like he was in complete control of the game. He set up his teammates, used his gravity to his advantage and played strong defense while repeatedly crashing the glass.

It’s not often that Curry only has 13 points, but it’s hard to find fault with his play in this game.

Quality: A-
Post-game bonus: Tied for the team lead in rebounds, best plus/minus on the team.

Jonathan Kuminga

18 minutes, 8 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 turnover, 5 fouls, 3-for-13 shooting, 0-for-4 threes, 2-for-4 free throws, 27.1% TS, +2

Quite a difficult match for Kuminga. He did some good things early, but the shots weren’t falling, and then he started settling for some bad shots. There were too many attempts from beyond the arc, and not enough displays of his explosive attacks at the rim. On defense, he was content to reach far too often.

Grade: D+

Kevon Looney

13 minutes, 6 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 turnover, 2 fouls, 2-for-3 shooting, 2-for-4 free throws, 63.0% TS, +4

The presence of 7’4 Zach Edey became easier for the Warriors to handle thanks to Looney, who continues to play bigger than he is while also consistently making the right pass on offense.

Quality: A-

Kyle Anderson

19 minutes, 8 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks, 1 turnover, 3 fouls, 3-for-7 shooting, 2-for-3 threes, 57.1% TS, +6

It was great to see Anderson back on the field after returning late Tuesday with neck cramps. And it was really great to see him knock down some threes.

A perfectly balanced game for Anderson, who did his best Draymond impression. It’s quite staggering how many players the team currently has who always seem to make the right decision and do a little bit of everything.

Quality: A-

Friend Loved

30 minutes, 18 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 5 turnovers, 4 fouls, 7-for-15 shooting, 4-for-8 threes, 60.0% TS, -2

I’m not entirely sure how to treat Hield’s game. On the one hand, he immediately gave the team an offensive attack, which was desperately needed, and he did it efficiently. On the other hand, he played a bit out of hand for much of the evening, as evidenced by the five turnovers and four fouls.

Yet it was not without reason that he received a lot of playing time. The Dubs needed offense, and that’s exactly what he gave them.

Grade: B
Post-game bonus: Led the team in points.

Gary Payton II

11 minutes, 2 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal, 2 turnovers, 1-for-2 shooting, 0-for-1 threes, 50.0% TS, -6

It’s a testament to the different looks the Warriors can throw at teams that Payton was the first starter off the bench… replacing Jackson-Davis. He’ll be a better fit in this matchup if Ja Morant plays, as Payton can give him some offense on the perimeter. So it wasn’t really a game where his presence was felt.

Grade: C
Post-game bonus: Worst plus/minus of the team.

Moses Moody

16 minutes, 14 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 turnovers, 2 fouls, 4-for-8 shooting, 3-for-5 threes, 3-for-5 free throws, 68.6% TS, +2

Moody hadn’t really felt like he had much of a role in the last few games, but he played really well in this game. He is a player who does not need to score to be effective. Still, he collected the points in this match, finishing as the team’s second top scorer, in just 16 minutes of action. It was his usual steady and solid performance.

Quality: A-

Brandin Podziemski

28 minutes, 11 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 2 fouls, 3-for-6 shooting, 1-for-4 threes, 4-for-4 free throws, 70.9% TS, -2

After a few matches where he really struggled, Podziemski broke out in this match with a fantastic performance. He was everywhere on the court, seemingly deflecting every pass, picking up every loose ball and getting a hand on every rebound.

And he had one of the best passes you’ll see this year.

Good things just seem to happen when Podz is on the field.

Grade: A

Friday’s DNPs: Pat Spencer
Friday’s inactives: Reece Beekman, De’Anthony Melton, Quinten Post