Warriors Finish Strong in Win Over Portland

It was far from pretty, but the Warriors came through with the game on the line, using a 16-1 fourth-quarter run to pick up a 100-92 win in Portland on Thursday night. It was the Dubs’ 17^th win in their last 21 road games, and the triumph keeps the Dubs in contention to improve upon their standing in the Play-In Tournament.

Playing without Klay Thompson (right knee tendonitis), Draymond Green (right knee contusion) or Gary Payton II (left calf tightness), Stephen Curry used a strong fourth quarter to finish with a team-high 22 points and eight assists. Jonathan Kuminga overcame foul trouble and had 19 points on 7-for-11 shooting and Andrew Wiggins added 15 points in the Dubs’ regular season road finale.

FOURTH QUARTER SURGE
A one-point game entering the fourth quarter, offense was hard to come by in the early moments of the final period. Portland used their athleticism and pressure defense to limit the Dubs’ offensive looks, and it paid off with the home team taking a six-point advantage. Needing a boost, the Warriors turned to Stephen Curry to lead the way, and the two-time MVP came through. Curry had eight points and three assists during the game-changing 16-1 run, and on the receiving end of two of those assists was Kevon Looney.

The Warriors’ veteran center saw extended playing time and responded with nine points and 11 rebounds in 20 minutes. But perhaps Looney’s biggest play of the night was a fourth-quarter steal. With Portland inbounding the ball underneath their offensive basket, Looney intercepted the pass and ignited a fast break that ended with Brandin Podziemski converting an and-1 layup. The play put the Warriors up by nine points with just over three minutes left, and the Trail Blazers never threatened from there.

SCOREBOARD WATCHING
The Warriors’ win coupled with New Orleans’ victory over Sacramento brought the Dubs into a three-way tie for eighth place in the Western Conference with the Kings and Lakers. With each team sporting a 45-35 record with remaining games on Friday and Sunday, Play-In Tournament seeding and matchups are still very much up in the air, with the Dubs having the potential to finish the regular season anywhere between eighth and 10th place in the West.

RECOVERING FROM A SLOW START
An ugly start to the game had the Dubs 0-for-3 from the floor with five turnovers before a Stephen Curry 3-pointer marked the team’s first made field goal nearly four minutes into the game. And though they would trail by as many as seven points in the opening period, the Warriors responded with a 10-0 run. Jonathan Kuminga and Curry made back-to-back 3-pointers to ignite that spurt and Brandin Podziemski found a cutting Kuminga for a dunk to complete that stretch.

DUBS DEFENSE STANDS OUT
A choppy, back-and-forth game with 15 lead changes and six ties, the Warriors never led by more than six points until their game-closing run. And despite their offensive struggles, they stayed in the game thanks to a stellar defensive effort. The Dubs tied a season-high with 13 blocks and held the Trail Blazers to 36.1 percent shooting from the field, a season-low for Warriors opponents. Trayce Jackson-Davis and Kevon Looney tallied four blocks apiece, and Wiggins and Curry added two swats apiece. Though Deandre Ayton had a big game with 25 points and 11 rebounds, the Dubs tightened their defense up when it mattered most, keeping Portland without a made field goal for a six-and-a-half minute stretch in the fourth quarter.

UP NEXT
Winners of nine of their last 10 games, the Warriors will face the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night at Chase Center. Both teams will be playing the back end of a back-to-back, and both teams still have plenty to play for in these final two games of the season.

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