Game Preview: Warriors vs. Trail Blazers - 12/30/22

FOUR STRAIGHT
The Warriors have won fourth straight games at Chase Center as they boast the best home record in the NBA, at 15-2. They will look to continue the streak on Friday night, when the Dubs host the Portland Trail Blazers. It will be the first of four games between the two teams this season. The Warriors swept the season last year, winning all three matchups.

LAST TIME OUT
The Dubs turned a 12-point deficit into a five-point victory after holding the Utah Jazz to just 13 points in the final quarter. Draymond Green came up with two key blocks in the game's final minutes and Jordan Poole scored a team-high 26 points in the victory. » Full Game Recap

PREVIOUS GAME STARTERS
GSW: Jordan Poole, Donte DiVincenzo, Anthony Lamb, Draymond Green and Kevon Looney
POR: Damian Lillard, Anfernee Simons, Josh Hart, Jerami Grant and Jusuf Nurkic

INJURY & ROSTER NOTES
GSW: Donte DiVincenzo (Right Knee Soreness) and Draymond Green (Right Foot Soreness) are probable. Stephen Curry (Left Shoulder Subluxation), JaMychal Green (Right Lower Leg Infection), Andre Iguodala (Left Hip Injury Management) and Andrew Wiggins (Non-COVID Illness) are out. Team Notes
POR: Jusuf Nurkic (Right Calf Soreness) is probable. Greg Brown III (Non-COVID Illness), Keon Johnson (Non-COVID Illness),Nassir Little (Right Femoral Head Impaction Fracture), Gary Payton II (Return to Competition Reconditioning) and Justise Winslow (Left Ankle Sprain) are out. Team Notes

BALDWIN JR. STAYS READY
Patrick Baldwin Jr. spent the afternoon before Wednesday's game in Santa Cruz at practice. Yes, you read that right. The rookie forward was not expecting to play in Wednesday's win over the Jazz, but when Donte DiVincenzo and Draymond Green were both ruled as questionable, Baldwin and Ryan Rollins were summoned to Chase Center from Santa Cruz.

“I woke up [Wednesday] about 9 a.m., headed over to Santa Cruz, had a practice at I want to say 2 p.m., got out of practice at about 3:30 p.m. and then we got a text about some possibilities of some guys being out tonight," Baldwin said. "Quickly they just put us in a car and drove us up to The Bay and got here at about 6 p.m. It has been a crazy last four hours. You just have to stay ready."

Baldwin recorded 11 points in 13 minutes of Wednesday's win, shooting for 4-for-7 from the field and 3-for-5 from 3-point range. Baldwin recorded five consecutive points for the Dubs during their 13-4 to tie the game early in the fourth quarter.

"It felt good today," Baldwin said. "I was able to get a good warmup in, a good 30 minutes and I felt good in warmups. When you check in the game and Draymond [Green] tells you to let it fly, you let it fly. It is just great confidence, and you just have to stay ready.”

“I thought Patrick changed the game when he stepped out there and knocked down those threes," Steve Kerr said. "Especially the one, I think he hit one late, third, or early fourth just kind of popped out, pick-and-pop jumper. It felt like a game-changer right there."

PORTLAND SCOUTING REPORT
The Trail Blazers come into the final game of 2022 after a 124-113 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Monday night. Guard Damian Lillard was honored before the game after passing Clyde Drexler as the leading scorer in franchise history on Dec. 19. Lillard leads the Blazers with 27.5 points per game this season, while also adding a team-high 7.2 assists per game.

Fifth-year guard Anfernee Simons is averaging a career-high 22.4 points per game, and his 124 made 3-pointers this season is the third most in the NBA. The Blazers are one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the league, ranking third in the NBA, making 38.5 percent of their attempts.

Jusuf Nurkic is leading the Blazers with 9.9 rebounds per game, and is coming off a 28-point, 15-rebound performance against the Hornets, where he made a career-high five 3-pointers.