Thousands of people from Dub Nation packed the Chase Center plaza on a partly cloudy afternoon to watch the highly anticipated contest on the 3,108-square-foot LED video board. Pedestrians were crossing Warriors Way in waves, hoping to snag a seat at nearby restaurants or at the game itself.
The NBA postseason kicked off in the Bay Area as the no. 7 seed Golden State Warriors hosted the no. 8 seed Memphis Grizzlies in the play-in tournament matchup on Tuesday.
Forward Jimmy Butler and guard Stephen Curry led the Warriors to a 121-116 victory with a combined 75 points. Curry scored 15 of the Warriors’ last 19 points. The Warriors retained the no. 7 seed and are scheduled to face the second seed Houston Rockets in the first round of the NBA playoffs on Sunday.
This game was the latest installment in a budding rivalry between these two franchises.
In 2021, the Grizzlies beat the Warriors in the play-in tournament to advance to the playoffs. The following year, Memphis won the season series 3-1, prompting Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr. to tweet “Strength in numbers,” mocking the famed Bay Area mantra. The social media trash talk culminated in the 2022 NBA Western Conference Semifinals, where the Warriors got the last laugh. They won the series 4-2 on their way to becoming NBA champions.
After winning that 2022 championship, former Warriors forward Klay Thompson recalled Jackson’s tweet and called him a “freakin’ bum” for the sarcastic remarks.
The discourse simmered down in recent years since both teams haven’t seen each other in the postseason since 2022, but 2025 added another episode to this new saga.

For Warriors fans, the keys to the game range from having a strong defense to second-half consistency.
Armann Singh, a Warriors fan from Southern California, said that the team needs to “play through Steph Curry” since “his shooting opens up a lot for them.”
Other fans like Javier Avalos from San Francisco cited the acquisition of forward Jimmy Butler as an important factor in the team’s success.
“He’s helped the team go 23-8 since we got him, so it’s been real good… the defense has been really good for us,” Avalos said.
If the Warriors have an early playoff exit this year, there will certainly be conversations around potential offseason moves.
The need for a consistent big man will be on the team’s to-do list as 6-foot-6-inch forward Draymond Green has started at center for the team’s last 10 games.
Despite these roster concerns, fans hope the momentum from Tuesday’s win will carry into the first round.
“I think we need to keep up that pressure if we do win tonight. It’s all about defense. Defense wins championships,” said LeSean Thomas, a fan from Oakland.
Klyde Java (he/him) is a contributor to Golden Gate Xpress. Java is a filmmaker, photographer and writer based in San Francisco. Born and raised in Southern California, he currently attends San Francisco State University, double majoring in psychology and Broadcast Electronic Communication Arts, while minoring in journalism.