Golden State Warriors vs. Portland Trail Blazers: Postgame Grades and Analysis
The Golden State Warriors used a 36-18 third quarter to upend the Portland Trail Blazers, 122-108 on Tuesday at the Moda Center.
The Warriors' victory locked up the Pacific Division, an honor Golden State hasn't captured in nearly 30 years, as noted by Bleacher Report:
Stephen Curry paced the Warriors, scoring 33 points on 13-of-22 shooting and dishing out a game-high 10 assists.
His counterpart on the Blazers, Damian Lillard, dropped 29 points on 9-of-21 shooting, grabbed seven rebounds and dished out five assists.
| Stephen Curry | A |
| Klay Thompson | B- |
| Draymond Green | A |
| Andrew Bogut | A |
| Harrison Barnes | A- |
| Rest of Team | B+ |
| Damian Lillard | B+ |
| Robin Lopez | D+ |
| Dorell Wright | C+ |
| Arron Afflalo | D |
| Rest of Team | B |
Golden State Warriors
Stephen Curry: A
For the second game in a row, Curry orchestrated a third-quarter offensive crescendo for the Warriors, helping them turn a halftime deficit into a comfortable victory. ESPN Stats & Info and ESPN Insider Kevin Pelton noted the Warriors' third-quarter stats:
"The last two nights the Warriors have outscored their opponents by 39 points in the third quarter. +21 last night, +18 tonight.
— Kevin Pelton (@kpelton) March 25, 2015"
For a few possessions, it looked like Lillard was going to be able to trade blows with Curry, but getting locked into a shootout with the latter is always going to be trouble. ESPN's Ethan Strauss would "love to see" a Lillard-Curry "series" matchup:
Curry's hot shooting seemed to fire up everyone around him, as the Warriors cruised down the stretch.
After struggling to find much rhythm in his first game back from an ankle injury on Monday, Klay Thompson looked a bit more comfortable on the second night of a back-to-back.
He went 6-of-13 from the field for 16 points in 25 minutes and did a solid job of containing Arron Afflalo on the other end.
Draymond Green: A
In a recent episode of Bill Don't Lie, Grantland's Bill Simmons and ESPN's Tom Haberstroh described Draymond Green as a "Swiss army knife" for his versatility on the floor.
He lived up to that billing, scoring 14 points, grabbing 11 rebounds, dishing out eight assists and blocking three shots. On any given night, he gives the Warriors a little bit of everything.
Andrew Bogut: A
Andrew Bogut is another Warrior who does more than his position requires on other teams.
He's mostly known for his defense, but he provided plenty of offense Tuesday. He had six assists, often operating Golden State's offense from the high post and outperformed his scoring average by dropping 10 points. The NBA's official Twitter account provided highlights of Curry and Bogut teaming up:
As for that other thing he's really good at? Bogut corralled 16 rebounds and was the anchor of a defensive effort that held the Blazers to 42.4 percent shooting.
Harrison Barnes: A-
Harrison Barnes played his fifth-option role to perfection, defending with intensity and staying ready to hit open shots when they were available.
He finished the game with 13 points on 5-of-6 from the field.
Rest of Team: B+
Golden State got a monster performance from Andre Iguodala off the bench. With Thompson still working his way back from injury, Iguodala's scoring was needed, and he delivered to the tune of 21 points on 9-of-11 shooting.
His biggest bucket came with 2:00 left in the fourth quarter, when Portland had made a mini-run to cut the lead to 11. Iguodala hit a cold-blooded three that put the game on ice. CBSSports.com's Matt Moore was impressed with the shot:
"Iguodala: “Nope.”
— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) March 25, 2015"
The rest of the bench combined to score 15 points on 6-of-13 shooting.
Portland Trail Blazers
Damian Lillard: B+
With LaMarcus Aldridge, Nicolas Batum and Chris Kaman all out with injuries, Lillard had the heavy burden of carrying Portland's offense.
He did his best to keep pace with Curry but came up just short and didn't have enough firepower around him to pick up the slack.
Robin Lopez: D+
A little extra offense from Robin Lopez would've been nice for Lillard, but the big man struggled to make up for any of the Aldridge's production inside. Lopez went just 1-of-5 from the field on the way to two points.
Defensively and on the boards, he wasn't able to do anything to bother Bogut, who controlled the paint for the Warriors all game.
Dorell Wright: C+
Aldridge's replacement, Dorell Wright, managed to get to double figures against the typically stingy defense of Green, a worthy achievement for a second-unit player.
He went for 12 points on 4-of-10 from the field and 2-of-4 from three-point range.
Arron Afflalo: D
Afflalo was acquired by the Blazers for just these kinds of situations. Portland needed some depth, and Afflalo was the veteran who could provide it.
With an opportunity to pick up some missing offense on the line, Afflalo struggled to get going against Thompson and any other Warrior who switched onto him in rotations.
He shot 4-of-10 from the field, 1-of-4 from three-point range and wasn't able to get to the free-throw line once. He finished with nine points, two assists and one rebound.
Rest of Team: B
C.J. McCollum came off the bench and helped give the Blazers the lead in the first half and keep them within striking distance in the second. He dropped 23 points on 9-of-18 shooting.
Alonzo Gee was solid as well, filling in for Batum and scoring 10 points on 5-of-10 shooting and playing with a ton of energy on defense. CSNNW.com's Jabari Young noted the Gee-Curry matchup:
Steve Blake also managed to hit double figures, scoring 10 points and shooting 2-of-4 from three-point range.
Coming Up Next
Portland's next game will be on the road, Wednesday against the Utah Jazz at 9 p.m. ET. The depleted frontcourt will be in line for a very difficult matchup against Utah's Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert. According to The Oregonian's Mike Richman, head coach Terry Stotts expressed uncertainty regarding Aldridge, Batum and Kaman making the trip:
The Warriors, meanwhile, will be on the road to take on the Memphis Grizzlies, Friday at 8 p.m. ET. It'll be a battle of wills, as the Warriors will try to speed up the notoriously slow Grizzlies' pace.
Andy Bailey covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him @AndrewDBailey.
