The Warriors won their ninth consecutive home game after defeating the Trail Blazers 125-117 on Wednesday night. Stephen Curry led Golden State with 35 points while Kevin Durant wasn’t far behind with 30 of his own, marking the second time this season both players topped the 30-point mark in the same game. Draymond Green stuffed the stat sheet with nine points, seven rebounds and 11 assists, as the Dubs combined for 31 assists, their 25th 30-assist game of the year. With the victory, Golden State improves to 31-5 on the season.
The Warriors’ first four baskets of the game all came from three-point range, with four different players each making one. Zaza Pachulia was the only one who didn’t, but he’d score six of Golden State’s next eight points, as every Warriors’ starter got on the score sheet by the 8:41 mark of the opening quarter. That first basket by Pachulia would extend the Warriors’ lead to seven, but little by little, Portland kept themselves in the game. After Stephen Curry converted his second three-pointer of the night with 5:52 left in the first frame, Portland responded with an 8-0 burst to retake a slim 26-24 advantage with 3:43 remaining. The two sides would trade the next four scores, after which, Kevin Durant offered further evidence of why he’s one of the top two-way players in the game:
After C.J. McCollum answered that sequence with a jumper, Andre Iguodala and Ian Clark sank back-to-back three-pointers to rebuild Golden State’s lead to eight. Clark, who entered the game having shot 17-of-19 from the field against Portland this season, scored the Warriors’ final five points of the opening quarter, as they took a 40-34 lead into the second frame. Portland’s deficit could have been much larger if not for the play of McCollum, whose 14 points led all scorers in the quarter. On the other side, it was Golden State’s league-leading eighth 40-point quarter of the season.
GAME LEADERS
The Warriors would open the second quarter on a 9-2 run, capped by Durant’s jumper at the 8:56 mark that extended their lead to 49-36. And yet, when it appeared Golden State might run away with the game, the Trail Blazers responded in kind. Klay Thompson would make a three-pointer 49 seconds later, but Portland would then hold the Warriors scoreless for the next 3:34 while they began a 35-14 run to take a 71-63 lead with 52 seconds left in the first half. Facing their largest deficit of the game, the Warriors needed a change of momentum, and Durant made sure to provide one on Golden State’s next possession. After winning a jump ball at Portland’s free throw line, Iguodala found Durant for a three-pointer from the wing, which he promptly converted while being fouled. Durant would go on to make the ensuing free throw for the Warriors’ second four-point play of the season, after which Curry’s layup with five seconds left closed out the scoring in the half with Golden State trailing 71-69.
Durant converted back-to-back dunks off assists from Draymond Green in a span of 33 seconds, the last of which tied the game at 74-74 with exactly 10 minutes remaining in the third quarter. 39 seconds later, Pachulia would score on a layup to continue what would end up being an 11-0 Golden State run that would put the Warriors in front for good. The Dubs were able to build their lead as large as 10 points on two occasions in the remainder of the third, but were never able to break the game open. Meyers Leonard’s dunk with 35 seconds left in the frame trimmed the Warriors’ advantage to 99-92 heading into the fourth and final quarter.
The two sides would trade baskets through the first six minutes of the fourth frame, during which Portland would close within five points on four separate occasions, but never closer. After McCollum converted a layup to trim the deficit to 113-107 with 4:52 remaining, Golden State would hold the Trail Blazers scoreless for the next two minutes while the Warriors went on a 5-0 burst.
By the time Al-Farouq Aminu managed to break the seal, the damage had been done, as Golden State would coast the rest of the way to an eventual 125-117 victory.
With the win, Golden State improves to 31-5 on the season. They’ll attempt to close out their current five-game homestand with an undefeated record when they host the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night.