After opening the 2020-21 NBA season with a 2-2 road trip, the Warriors return home to Chase Center to host the Portland Trail Blazers on New Year’s Night.
Warriors vs. Trail BlazersFriday, January 17:30 p.m.
WATCH: NBCSBA, NBA TV
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HOME SWEET HOME
After opening the 2020-21 NBA season with a 2-2 road trip, the Warriors return home to Chase Center to host the Portland Trail Blazers on New Year’s Night. This holiday game will be the first of two straight matchups between the teams, as they meet again on Sunday. The Trail Blazers took last season’s series between the clubs 2-1, but the Dubs earned their lone victory in the Bay Area in a birthday party to remember for Eric Paschall, who finished with 34 points and 13 rebounds for his first career double-double.
LAST TIME OUT
Stephen Curry scored 31 points and Andrew Wiggins dropped 17 of his 27 points in the final frame of the Dubs’ 116-106 victory over the Detroit Pistons. » Full Recap
MATCHUP AT A GLANCE
LAST GAME STARTERS
GSW: Stephen Curry, Kelly Oubre Jr., Andrew Wiggins, Juan Toscano-Anderson and James Wiseman
POR: Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum, Robert Covington, Derrick Jones Jr. and Jusuf Nurkic
INJURY & ROSTER NOTES
GSW: Alen Smailagic (right knee soreness) amd Draymond Green (right foot soreness) are TBD. Marquese Chriss (right ankle injury) and Klay Thompson (right Achilles rehab) are out. Team Notes
POR: Nassir Little (undisclosed) and Gary Trent Jr. (calf) are TBD. Zach Collins (left ankle rehab) is out. Team Notes
WIGGINS WINDS UP
Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins is coming off his best stretch as a Warrior, finishing with 27 points, seven rebounds, three blocks and three assists in Tuesday night’s matchup. Wiggins finished strong in the victory, scoring 17 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter. “He was phenomenal,” Warriors Head Coach Steve Kerr shared. “He just took over the game.” In addition to a strong offensive performance — he’s averaged 23 points while shooting 64 percent on threes over the last two games — he ranks second on the team in both rebounds and blocks. Wiggins getting it done on both ends of the floor will be a huge contributor for a Warriors team looking to get back to the postseason.
TEAM LEADERS
PORTLAND SCOUTING REPORT
Like the Warriors, the Trail Blazers enter Friday’s matchup with a 2-2 record. And like the Warriors, each of their losses have been by at least 20 points. However, Portland did pull off a victory over the defending champion Lakers earlier this week. Guard CJ MCollum has led the team in scoring in three of their first four games, including a 44-point outburst in an overtime win against Houston. Of course, no discussion of the Trail Blazers is complete without the mention of Damian Lillard. The Oakland native averaged over 40 points a game against the Warriors last season. With Lillard and McCollum leading the way, center Jusuf Nurkic back in action after missing all but eight games last season, as well as depth at the wing spot with Carmelo Anthony, Rodney Hood and Robert Covington, the Trail Blazers have their sights set on bigger things than simply reaching the playoffs as the eighth seed as they did last year.