The Memphis Grizzlies and Golden State Warriors have their first opportunity to show each other their new looks when their Western Conference rivals face off in an NBA Cup game Friday night in San Francisco.

The Grizzlies will make their first NBA Cup appearance this season, while the Warriors will look to win their second straight home game in in-season Western Group C play, defeating the Dallas Mavericks 120-117 on Klay Thompson’s lead. We will return to San Francisco on Tuesday.

Memphis will once again be without injured Ja Morant (hip) and GG Jackson II (foot), and Desmond Bane (oblique) is questionable to return after a seven-game absence.

The Grizzlies were able to get Marcus Smart back after their 128-123 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday. Smart had 15 points and 6 assists in 23 minutes on the bench after missing six games.

Injury issues haven’t stopped the Grizzlies from putting up big numbers this year. They collected 131, 128, 134 and 123 points in the last four matches and won three of them.

Unfortunately, the Grizzlies gave up a season-high 128 points against the Lakers, 38 of which came by as many as 13 points in the first quarter.

“I love the challenge, but you can’t give up 40 (actually 38) points in the first quarter on the road,” Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins said. “We got what we wanted in the second and third quarters, but…

“This is a learning opportunity. We must achieve a much better result away from home in the first quarter.”

In the Warriors, Memphis will now see a team featuring two familiar faces: De’Anthony Melton and Kyle Anderson. Both played for the Grizzlies, who took Golden State to six games in the Western Conference semifinals in 2022.

The Grizzlies won’t have to face Melton after the Warriors announced Thursday that the guard sprained his left ACL in Tuesday’s win. He will receive additional tests to determine how much time he may miss.

Melton’s injury is a significant blow considering his recent strong play. Returning from a back injury, Melton recorded his first Golden State double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds against Oklahoma City on Sunday and then added 14 points in a win over the Mavericks on Tuesday.

Melton averaged 10.3 points in 20.2 minutes while shooting 40.7% from the field in six games (two starts) this season.

“He’s definitely a really important player for us and a guy we envision as a top-two guard and he’s done a good job of that,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “Of course, this is a concern. We will know more in the next few days.”

Kerr did not specify who would replace Melton in the starting lineup. Buddy Hield (17.6 points per game, second on the team) and Jonathan Kuminga (14.7 points per game, tied for third) are two candidates.

Like the Grizzlies, the Warriors have increased their scoring pace this season. Their 120-point win against Dallas was their seventh game this season in which they scored 120 or more points. Golden State took a 7-0 lead in these games.