Warriors vs. Trail Blazers: Score, Highlights, Reaction from 2016 Regular Season
It took the Golden State Warriors some time, but they got their groove back on Tuesday night with a 127-104 win over the Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center that was anchored by a 41-point third-quarter explosion.
The Warriors (3-1) have now won three straight following their season-opening loss to the San Antonio Spurs. Portland, on the other hand, dropped to 2-2 with the loss.
Stephen Curry started in rather sluggish fashion, but he recovered after halftime and finished with 28 points on 10-of-21 shooting, including 5-of-10 from the three-point line. Kevin Durant added 20 points, five rebounds and four steals, while Draymond Green posted a full line consisting of six points, nine assists, eight rebounds, three steals and two blocks.
ESPN Stats & Info passed along a telling stat to exemplify just how consistent Durant has been in the scoring column:
Damian Lillard paced Portland with 31 points on 8-of-19 shooting (4-of-10 from three), and he provided one of the Blazers' few highlights when he converted a tough three-point play after weaving through Golden State's defense:
However, Lillard didn't receive much help.
C.J. McCollum (16 points) and Evan Turner (14 points) were both effective in spots, but the Blazers shot 43 percent from the field and 35.9 percent from three as a team.
Ian Clark, of all people, led the Warriors with 16 points in the first half, and he knocked down all three of his three-point attempts during a stellar 10 minutes off the bench to help give Golden State a six-point lead at the break.
Warriors.com's Laurence Scott relayed highlights of Clark's strong showing:
Conversely, Curry, Durant and Klay Thompson (14 points, 0-of-7 from three) combined to shoot 0-of-10 from three over the game's first 24 minutes, and it was Thompson, in particular, whose struggles stood out.
As NBA on ESPN documented, Thompson has been ice-cold from beyond the arc to start the season:
But once the third quarter rolled around, the Warriors woke up.
Although Lillard continued to pile up points, Curry regained vintage form in a hurry and lit Portland up to the tune of 23 third-quarter points after managing five in the first half.
Curry also drilled five threes during the third quarter, including one silky shot from the right wing, as NBA TV showed on Twitter:
As if that weren't enough, Curry finished a ridiculous twisting layup through contact as the Warriors pulled away from the Blazers for good:
ESPN Stats & Info provided an overview of Curry's shot chart from the third stanza:
With Curry and Durant cooking and Green playing lockdown defense, the Warriors looked like the star-studded superpower expected to wreak havoc on the rest of the Western Conference.
And if Tuesday night was any indication, the new-look Warriors are just starting to develop a rapport.
That's a terrifying prospect for the rest of the NBA—especially since it feels like it's a matter of when, not if, Thompson will work his way into a groove from three.
But if he finds a way to break out on Thursday against the Oklahoma City Thunder (10:30 p.m. ET on TNT), the Warriors would certainly appreciate it.
All eyes will rightly be trained on Durant and ex-teammate Russell Westbrook, but the Warriors will have to turn in a complete performance and find ways to thrive from three if they want to extend their winning streak to four games.
The Thunder (3-0) are holding opponents to 22.6 percent shooting from deep so far this season, according to TeamRankings, and their length and athleticism on the perimeter can't be ignored.
However, if the Warriors can find a way to fluster the Thunder with quick ball movement and sterling floor spacing, a fireworks show should be in order at Oracle Arena.
Postgame Reaction
After the win, Durant discussed his team's effort with NBA TV's Dennis Scott:
As for Curry, head coach Steve Kerr provided a funny breakdown to sum up how his star point guard performed.
"I just told him he was Riley Curry in the first half and Steph Curry in the second," he said, according to the Washington Post's Tim Bontemps.
Kerr also told reporters he was proud of his team's defensive effort, according to the Warriors' official Twitter account:
Looking ahead, Durant offered an overview of how he'll approach Thursday's game against his old team, as documented by the Bay Area News Group's Anthony Slater:
On the flip side, Lillard discussed how the Blazers can improve after they were blitzed in the third quarter.
"We need to be better in the 3rd quarter," he said, per CSN Northwest on Twitter. "Teams adjust and we need to realize that."
"It just got away from us," Lillard added, according to the Oregonian's Mike Richman. "It's a learning experience for us but, at the end of the day, it's one game out of 82."
