The Warriors close out their three-game road trip when they travel to Portland to take on the Trail Blazers on Tuesday night.
Warriors at Trail BlazersTuesday, November 17:00 p.m.Moda Center
TV: CSN, NBA TV
RADIO: 95.7 The Game, Warriors Mobile App
OREGON TRAIL
Coming off two consecutive road wins, the Warriors close out their current three-game road trip when they take on the Trail Blazers in Portland on Tuesday. This will be the first of four matchups between the two teams this season, and their first meeting since Golden State knocked Portland out of the 2015-16 Western Conference Semifinals in five games. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Watch the action on CSN Bay Area and NBA TV, or listen to the call on 95.7 The Game or the Warriors Mobile App.
LAST TIME OUT
The Warriors grinded out their second-straight road victory, defeating the Suns 106-100 in Phoenix on Sunday. Full Recap
PROJECTED STARTERS
GSW: Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and Zaza Pachulia
POR: Damian Lillard, C.J. McCollum, Al-Farouq Aminu, Maurice Harkless and Mason Plumlee
INJURY & ROSTER NOTES
GSW: Damian Jones (right pectoral surgery) and Patrick McCaw (sprained left ankle) are out. Team Notes
POR: None Team Notes
CALM BEFORE THE STORM
Sooner or later, the three-point shots are going to start falling. The Warrior enter Tuesday’s game having made just 24-of-90 (.267) three-point attempts so far this season, the seventh-worst team percentage in the entire NBA. It’s an unusual reality for the Dubs, who have finished as one of the top two three-point shooting teams in the league in five of the last six seasons. Of the Warriors’ 24 makes, exactly half have come from Stephen Curry, with no other player on the roster having made more than three. In fact, the Warriors have not shot a worse percentage from three-point range over a three-game span in the regular season since November 14-18, 2012. All of this is to say, they’re due, and due in a big way. Although the ball hasn’t been going in, the Dubs have been generating good looks from beyond the arc, and given the shooting talents they possess, it’s only a matter of time until the floodgates open. When they do, it’ll be a double-boon for Golden State, as not only will it increase their scoring and improve the flow of the offense, but it will simultaneously serve to cut down on the long rebounds that have generated so many of their opponents’ fast break leaks through the first few games.
PORTLAND SCOUTING REPORT
When asked who he expected to be the league MVP before the season started, Steve Kerr said Trail Blazers’ guard Damian Lillard, and through the first week of the season, it seems Kerr knows what he’s talking about. He currently ranks fourth in the NBA with an average of 35.0 points per game, and although he’s always been a potent shooter from the perimeter throughout his decorated young career, Lillard has made his biggest strides as an interior scorer. He’s shooting 74 percent in the restricted area after shooting just 54 percent from there over his first four seasons. Given his vast range and his ability to penetrate and drive, he poses a constant threat to the opposing defense, and the Warriors will certainly have their hands full trying to limit his impact. The two teams combined to average more than 30 made three-pointers in their four meetings last year, and whichever side is able to gain the upper hand from long range stands a good chance at leaving Tuesday’s game with a win.