PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS (33-48) vs GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS (43-38)
April. 9, 2023 — Moda Center — 12:30 pm PST
Regular Season Game #82 — Home Game #41
TV: ROOT SPORTS PLUS
*Fans in the greater Washington/Seattle-Metro area please click link for info on how to watch tonight's game.
https://www.nba.com/blazers/watch/
RADIO: Rip City Radio 620 AM
SERIES HISTORY
ALL TIME: Trail Blazers lead, 148-89
PORTLAND HOME: Trail Blazers lead, 82-29
LA HOME: Clippers lead, 60-59
SERIES NOTES
- Portland and Golden State will meet for the fourth and final time of the regular season on April 9 in Portland.
- LAST MATCHUP: The Trail Blazers fell to the Warriors by a final score of 123-105 on Feb. 28 at Golden State. Damian Lillard tallied a team-high 25 points (9-21 FG, 2-7 3P, 5-5 FT) to go along with three rebounds, seven assists and three steals in 35 minutes.
- THIS SEASON: Golden State leads the 2022-23 season series between the Trail Blazers and Warriors, 2-1.
- LAST SEASON: The Trail Blazers lost the 2021-22 season series against the Warriors, 0-3.
- In 34 career games against Golden State, Damian Lillard has scored 31-plus points 15 times.
- Last season against the Warriors, Anfernee Simons averaged 21.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 steals.
FAN APPRECIATION DAY NOTES
- Fans will receive a printout as they enter Moda Center with a QR code with a Blazers Mystery Egg. The egg will direct them to Rip City Clothing discounts which will change each quarter. Check back as the game progresses to see which discount is provided!
- Every fan attending Sunday’s game will receive access to the adidas Employee Store via the Trail Blazers App. Download the app to receive access and enjoy all the perks of the Trail Blazers Member Pass.
- Be sure to watch Blaze’s Parade as Blaze the Trail Cat along with his furry friend Douglas Fur and the Trail Blazers performance teams venture throughout the Moda Center concourse getting fans pumped up for the game. Fans enjoying the parade could receive a tasty treat from Blaze or Doug, so be sure to arrive early!
- Over 100 eggs will be hidden throughout the arena with prizes, giveaways, and more hidden inside. Prizes range from autographed items to free t-shirts!
NEWS AND NOTES
TRIPLE THREAT: Portland has three players averaging 20 or more points this season: Damian Lillard (32.2), Anfernee Simons (21.1) and Jerami Grant (20.5). The Trail Blazers have never had a season in which three players were averaging 20-plus points.
KNOX-ING DOWN BUCKETS: Kevin Knox II posted a season-high 30 points on April 8 at the Los Angeles Clippers, marking the seventh time he has scored in double figures in his last 10 games.
THE ROOKIE'S COOKING: Shaedon Sharpe recorded 193 points over eight games from March 22-April 4, marking the most points scored in an eight-game span by a rookie in the NBA this season. Sharpe is just the sixth rookie in franchise his- tory to score at least 190 points over an eight-game stretch.
DENIED BY DREW: Drew Eubanks became the seventh player in the NBA this season to record 23-plus points, nine-plus rebounds and five-plus blocks in a game on April 6 at San Antonio.
Eubanks tallied three consecutive games with three-plus blocks (April 6 at San Antonio, April 4 at Memphis, April 2 at Minnesota), becoming the first Blazer to do so since Robert Covington in February 2021
SHAE ON DISPLAY: Shaedon Sharpe tallied 27 points, six rebounds and six assists on April 2 at Minnesota, becoming the only rookie in the NBA this season with multiple games recording 27-plus points, six-plus rebounds and six-plus
assists.
It was Sharpe's third-straight game posting at least 25 points and five assists, becoming one of only three rookies to do so in the last 10 seasons in the NBA (Luka Doncic, Trae Young). He also became the first Trail Blazers rookie since Kelvin Ransey (1981) to drop three-straight games with 25-plus points.
WALK THE WALK: Jabari Walker posted a career-high (tie) 14 points and four 3PM on March 31 vs. Sacramento, marking his first career game with multiple 3PM.
Coming into the game, Walker had eight total 3PM.
THE DREAM TEEN: Shaedon Sharpe posted a career-high 30 points, seven assists and six 3PM on March 29 vs. Sacramento to go along with seven rebounds, becoming the fourth teenager in NBA history to record 30-plus points, seven-plus rebounds and seven-plus assists in a game (Luka Doncic, Kevin Durant, LeBron James). Sharpe's 13 points in the third marked the highest scoring quarter of his career.
STAYING SHARPE: Shaedon Sharpe posted a career-high 29 points on March 26 vs. Oklahoma City, becoming only the second rookie in the NBA this season to record three consecutive games with 24 or more points (Banchero).
ELITE LITTLE: Nassir Little recorded a season-high 28 points on March 26 vs. Oklahoma City, marking the second-highest scoring output of his career and his sixth career game with 20-plus points.
REACHING NEW HEIGHTS: Shaedon Sharpe recorded multiple career highs on March 22 at Utah, finishing with 24 points, nine rebounds, four steals, four 3PM and 40 minutes.
20 FOR 32: Damian Lillard recorded his 24th straight game with 20-plus points on March 3 at Atlanta, marking the longest streak of his career. Lillard extended the streak to 32 games on March 22 at Utah when he posted 30 points, marking the longest current active streak of 20-plus point games in the NBA this season.
Lillard's Longest Streaks of 20-Plus Point Games:
32 Jan. 8-March 22, 2023
23 Jan. 3-March 6, 2020
21 Feb. 2-March 19, 2021
SHARPE SHOOTING: Shaedon Sharpe recorded his 66th 3PM on March 12 at New Orleans, breaking a tie with Martell Webster (65) for the third most 3PM by a Trail Blazers rookie. He currenty has 75 3PM this season.
Most 3PM by a Trail Blazers Rookie:
185…..Damian Lillard
159…..Rudy Fernandez
75…….Shaedon Sharpe
65…….Martell Webster
62…….Nicolas Batum
REACHING NEW HEIGHTS: Shaedon Sharpe recorded multiple career highs on March 22 at Utah, finishing with 24 points, nine rebounds, four steals, four 3PM and 40 minutes.
LAST FIVE GAMES
Trail Blazers 125, Clippers 136 – April 8, 2023 – Crypto.com Arena – Game #81 (33-48, 16-25 Away)
The Trail Blazers fell to the Clippers by a final score of 136-125 ... Kevin Knox II finished with a season-high 30 points (10-15 FG, 5-8 3P, 5-6 FT) to go along with 11 rebounds, two assists and one steal in 36 minutes ... Shaedon Sharpe recorded 26 points (10-20 FG, 3-9 3P, 3-4 FT), four rebounds, four assists and two steals in 37 minutes ... Trendon Watford posted a season-high 24 points (10-15 FG, 2-3 3P, 2-2 FT) to go along with two rebounds, three assists and one block in 26 minutes ... Kawhi Leonard led the Clippers with 27 points to go along with eight rebounds, four assists and one block in 29 minutes.
Trail Blazers 127, Spurs 129 – April 6, 2023 – Moody Center – Game #80 (33-47, 16-24 Away)
Portland fell to San Antonio by a final score of 129-127 ... Kevin Knox II posted a season-high 24 points (9-15 FG, 3-6 3P, 3-4 FT) to go along with three rebounds and two assists in 24 minutes ... Drew Eubanks logged 23 points (9-13 FG, 3-4 3P, 2-3 FT), nine rebounds, two assists and five blocks in 28 minutes ... Trendon Watford recorded 16 points (7-12 FG, 0-1 3P, 2-2 FT), six rebounds, three assists and one block in 20 minutes ... Jeenathan Williams tallied 16 points (8-10 FG, 0-1 3P), four rebounds and four assists in 32 minutes ... Keita Bates-Diop led the Spurs with 25 points in 26 minutes ... Zach Collins (21 points, 10 rebounds) and Tre Jones (18 points, 10 assists) put up double-doubles for San Antonio.
Trail Blazers 109, Grizzlies 119 – April 4, 2023 – FedExForum – Game #79 (33-46, 16-23 Away)
The Trail Blazers fell to the Grizzlies by a final score of 119-109 ... Skylar Mays logged a career-high 24 points (9-16 FG, 4-6 3P, 2-2 FT) to go along with eight rebounds, seven assists and one steal in 36 minutes ... Shaedon Sharpe recorded 20 points (8-18 FG, 2-8 3P, 2-4 FT), eight rebounds and six assists in 29 minutes ... Jabari Walker posted a career-high 16 points (6-11 FG, 3-5 3P, 1-2 FT) to go along with six rebounds in 20 minutes ... Desmond Bane led Memphis with 30 points in 36 minutes.
Trail Blazers 107, Timberwolves 105 – April 2, 2023 – Target Center – Game #78 (33-45, 16-22 Away)
Portland defeated Minnesota by a final score of 107-105 ... Shaedon Sharpe recorded a team-high 27 points (9-19 FG, 2-7 3P, 7-9 FT) to go along with six rebounds and six assists in 35 minutes, becoming the only rookie in the NBA this season with multiple games posting 27-plus points, six-plus rebounds and six-plus assists ... Kevin Knox II tallied 19 points (8-15 FG, 2-6 3P, 1-3 FT), four rebounds and three steals in 29 minutes, marking his highest scoring game as a Trail Blazer and the fifth time he has scored in double figures over his last seven games ... Trendon Watford posted 15 points (6-8 FG, 0-2 3P, 3-5 FT), three rebounds and two assists in 19 minutes ... Skylar Mays finished with 13 points (6-9 FG, 1-2 3P), three rebounds and a career-high nine assists in 30 minutes ... The Trail Blazers outscored Minnesota 62-52 in the paint and 25-15 in fast-break points ... Anthony Edwards led the Timberwolves with 37 points to go along with five rebounds, six assists and one steal in 38 minutes.
Trail Blazers 114, Kings 138 – March 31, 2023 – Moda Center – Game #77 (32-45, 17-23 Home)
The Trail Blazers fell to the Kings by a final score of 138-114 ... Shaedon Sharpe finished with a game-high 27 points (10-20 FG, 4-10 3P, 3-4 FT) to go along with three rebounds, five assists, one steal and two blocks in 37 minutes ... Drew Eubanks logged 18 points (7-10 FG, 4-7 FT), 10 rebounds, two steals and one block in 28 minutes ... Skylar Mays posted 14 points (5-8 FG, 3-6 3P, 1-1 FT), six assists and one steal in 30 minutes ... Jabari Walker recorded a career-high tying 14 points (5-12 FG, 4-6 3P) to go along with three assists and one block, marking his first career game with multiple 3PM ... De'Aaron Fox, Malik Monk, Keegan Murray and Domantas Sabonis each contributed 20 points for Sacramento.
INJURY REPORT
Shaedon Sharpe (Left Knee Tendinopathy), Trendon Watford (Right Ankle Sprain), and Kevin Knox II (Left Knee Soreness) are PROBABLE, Cam Reddish (Lumbar Soreness), and Drew Eubanks (Right Ankle Sprain) are QUESTIONABLE, and Matisse Thybulle (Right Knee Effusion), Damian Lillard (Right Calf Tightness), Jusuf Nurkic (Right Knee Soreness), Anfernee Simons (Right Foot Soreness), Jerami Grant (left quad contusion), Ibou Badji (left knee soreness), Keon Johnson (Right 5th Finger Fracture), Nassir Little (Left Ankle Sprain) and Justise Winslow (left ankle sprain) are OUT for Saturday's game.
For the Warriors, Stephen Curry (Right Hip Contusion) and Jonathan Kuminga (Right Toe Contusion) are PROBABLE while Andre Iguodala (Left Wrist Surgery), Ryan Rollins (Right Foot Surgery), and Andrew Wiggins (Return to Competition Reconditioning) are OUT.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Tip for Sunday's game is scheduled for 12:30 pm PT. All Portland Trail Blazers regular season and preseason games will be broadcast on the Trail Blazers Broadcasting flagship station, Rip City Radio 620 AM. Travis Demers begins his fourth full season providing play-by-play commentary for all home and away games, with Michael Holton adding commentary.
On television, ROOT SPORTS PLUS will air 81 Trail Blazers regular season games featuring Kevin Calabro calling play-by-play, Lamar Hurd providing analysis and Brooke Olzendam reporting from the sideline. Between ROOT SPORTS PLUS, TNT and ESPN, all 82 regular season games will be televised. For all viewing visit www.trailblazers.com/watch.