Stephen Curry had high praise for a former teammate after the Golden State Warriors fell 111-108 to the Memphis Grizzlies. Curry called Ty Jerome, the NBA’s early leading scorer, “a tough cover” with “a lot of weapons around him.”

The Warriors blew a 12-point lead in their home opener and dropped to 0-2.

Curry Raves About Ty Jerome

Curry made it clear he is happy for his former teammate.

“I know he’s happy to be healthy and he’s obviously gotten a lot better since he was here,” Curry said. “He was a great player when he was here, but he’s got a full green light over there to kind of do whatever he wants and run their system, and initiate a lot of their scoring. He’s a tough cover and got a lot of weapons around him… he’s doing a great job.”

Curry’s Message to the Warriors

Curry also explained what he and Steve Kerr told the team in the locker room. He wanted the group to hold on to what worked.

“Focus on the positives, as hard as it is,” Curry said. “We played really hard, physical. I think we had the right intentions with everything we were trying to do in the process of how we’re trying to play. I think it was night and day between the Lakers and them tonight, just on the competitive spirit and the togetherness.”

He said the effort was there even when Memphis made a run. “Even if they did make a run, we were able to respond all night,” Curry said. “So, you want to have that passion. There’s a lot of talking going out there, and everybody was in the moment.”

Warriors Let a Lead Slip Late

The positives did not make the finish easier to swallow. Golden State led 106-94 on a De’Anthony Melton three-pointer with 3:47 left, per Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area. Memphis closed with a 17-0 run, and the Warriors missed eight straight shots during the stretch.

Curry did not hide how it felt. “There’s losses, and there’s ways that you lose, like tonight, that kind of sting a little bit more,” he said.

He also pointed to building the right habits. “We’re trying to build again the right habits on that,” Curry said. “You’d hope that things would go your way eventually, but you’re going to think about the fourth quarter for a while.”

Kerr Sees Effort, Not Execution

Kerr agreed with Curry on the effort. He did not agree with the result.

“The effort, the energy was all there, so it’s a shame that we didn’t close the game because I thought the guys all game long competed,” Kerr said. “But we didn’t deserve to win the game because we didn’t make the plays that we needed to at the end.”

Curry Likely Out vs. Suns

The Warriors do not get much time to reset. They fly to Phoenix for the second night of a back-to-back against the Phoenix Suns.

Curry said he “probably” will not play, per Anthony Slater of ESPN. He plans to talk with the training staff, but Slater noted it is clear the team is easing him into the season.

What’s Next for the Golden State Warriors

The Golden State Warriors will have to find a way to bounce back without their biggest star. Curry’s message is that the effort is there, but with an 0-2 start, the Warriors need to turn that into wins.