
The Golden State Warriors looked like a completely different team against the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday compared to just 24 hours prior in the first half against the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday.
In the first half against the Pelicans, the Warriors scored just 39 points and simply struggled as a team to get anything going. Against the Grizzlies, though, the Warriors scored 40 points in the second quarter alone, leading to a dominant 133-112 win.
After the win, Moses Moody talked about what he saw as the biggest difference between the Warriors' loss to the Pelicans and their win against the Grizzlies.
"We just found a rhythm, found a flow. Last night was a little stagnant, but it comes down to making shots. We made a lot more shots today."
Moody specifically addressed the way the Warriors looked to emphasize playing quickly against the Grizzlies, taking as many transition opportunities as possible and pushing the pace.
"(Playing fast) give more opportunities for the defense to make mistakes. Playing in transition, you might have numbers, and then they're in transition, too, so everybody's not set and ready to rotate for another guy when the action happens. Getting the ball out, playing fast, and then even when you're in the half court, moving it, playing fast."
The Warriors are one of the worst teams in the league in fast break points. Out of the entire NBA, only the Boston Celtics have a smaller percentage of their points come from fast break points.
This deficiency truly showed against the Pelicans, as the Warriors had just 4 fast break points compared to the Pelicans' 20. A large part of that was due to the Warriors' 21 turnovers, but even still, turning 17 Pelicans' turnovers into just 4 fast break points is embarrassing.
The Warriors weren't exactly wizards in transition against the Grizzlies, but there was marked improvement. On Wednesday, they posted 17 fast break points and outscored the Grizzlies in that department, 17-13. Additionally, the turnover battle was knotted at 16, a much more manageable number for the Warriors.
So much of the Warriors' offense was clearly better on Wednesday against the Grizzlies, especially individually, but fast break points are always going to be some of the easiest a team can pick up. As Moody said, being able to get shots up before the defense is set is extremely valuable, not just for shot quality but also to not require expending so much energy on the offensive end to dissect a set defense.
The Warriors match up next against the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday, who are middle-of-the-pack in fast break points allowed. They cannot afford to have another terrible game in this category if they hope to come away with a win.