With our season openers in the books, the Grizzlies and the Warriors find themselves in very different places. Memphis put a beating on the Utah Jazz in their opener, executing a strong defensive effort from start to finish. Golden State had no such luck, failing to generate consistent offense while a spry Lakers team beat them up defensively. Will the Warriors be able to reverse their fortunes at home, or will the Grizzlies roll into town and pull off the upset?
The Warriors enter as 3.5-point home favorites with the game total set at 236.5 at DraftKings Sportsbook. Let’s get into my prediction and best bet for this Western Conference matchup.
Grizzlies vs. Warriors Preview
The Grizzlies’ story in the opener was Ty Jerome. In the middle of a brutal 2025-26 season, Jerome was one of the bright spots, as the Virginia product looked like a bargain signing and a potential star. Wednesday’s game was another sign that his star was rising. Jerome piled up 45 points on 17-of-25 shooting, shooting a ridiculous 80% on his two-point attempts, while adding seven rebounds and six assists. Utah never found the answers for containing him, and he single-handedly powered the Memphis offense to a victory.
It was Memphis’ commitment to winning the possession battle that gave Jerome the platform to score. The Grizzlies rebounded 31.3% of their own misses, compared to only 11.1% for the Jazz. It’s an impressive feat considering the positional size that the Jazz bring to the table. By winning the turnover battle as well, they gave their offense plenty of chances while essentially playing keep-away from the Jazz.
Rookie Cam Boozer was central to this in his debut. Despite shooting 2-for-15 from the floor, Boozer managed a team-high +32 plus-minus. He did the little things, grabbing 11 rebounds, dishing five assists, and turning it over only once. Head coach Tuomas Iisalo praised his prized rookie, who looks set to take on a major role going forward.
On the other side, you can’t say the Golden State Warriors have many positives going for them. Their opening game against the Lakers was a humiliation: after staying in the race through one quarter, Golden State lost the middle two quarters by 33 combined points. Steph Curry was the only player who could generate offense, and their absences weighed heavily; it’ll be hard to win games without Jimmy Butler, Kristaps Porzingis, Brandin Podziemski, and Moses Moody.
If there is to be a saving grace for this team, it’s rookie Yaxel Lendeborg. He scored a solid 12 points in his NBA debut, but made waves on and off the floor. Lendeborg talked trash to Luka Doncic all night long, and held him to 1-for-6 shooting as a primary defender. On an aging roster with low expectations for winning, a rookie like Lendeborg might be just the thing to inject life back into this team.
Now that we know these two teams a bit better, who will take home the win?
Grizzlies vs. Warriors Best Bet
Here’s the reality: the Memphis Grizzlies are a better team than the Golden State Warriors. They have a real identity with their double-big lineups and pesky perimeter defense. Jerome is clearly the kind of player to take them over the top in certain matchups. They also have a great coach in Iisalo, who is constantly seeking advantages on the margins.
The Warriors are stale. They’re overly reliant on Steph Curry and Draymond Green, who aren’t the players they used to be. Injuries and poor roster management have left their depth bare. In this matchup, their best hope is to throw an aging Al Horford at Zach Edey and Cam Boozer and try to get some sort of result. I can’t see that working out, so I’m picking the Warriors to lose at home and drop to 0-2.
