Warriors and Stephen Curry win sixth straight, defeat Trail Blazers 118-103

The Portland Trail Blazers traveled to Chase Center on Friday to take on the Golden State Warriors. Entering the game above .500, the Blazers looked to make an impression against the team with the best record in the NBA. However, as has been the case for years, Portland fell short in the Bay Area.

Things got off to a fast offensive start, with both teams making more than 50% of their shots from the field in the first 6 minutes. However, things slowed for Golden State as soon as Curry was subbed off the floor in head coach Steve Kerr’s new staggered rotation.

The Blazers’ defensive schemes under former head coach Terry Stotts gave elite perimeter guards, like Curry, plenty of space to operate. However, first-year head coach Chauncey Billups has changed things up. With Portland adopting a more aggressive scheme on the perimeter, some Warriors veterans took some time to adjust.

Draymond Green’s passing was notably sloppy early, leading to four first-quarter turnovers. Perhaps still expecting the open spacing that previous iterations of the Blazers have allowed, he made some unusually poor decisions. As the game went on, though, Green adjusted as did the rest of the Warriors.

With 2:49 left in the second quarter, the score was tied at 42. Then, Jordan Poole and Curry combined for three-straight threes and sparked a great Dubs run. By halftime, the Warriors led 58-44.

Curry led the way offensively, but the entire starting lineup pitched in. Even Kevon Looney recorded 12 points and 7 rebounds. Curry finished with 32 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists, scoring 18 in the first half. Andrew Wiggins continued his stretch of high efficiency, scoring 25 points on 10-for-16 from the field. Poole dropped in 14. Green recovered from his slow start to rack up 12 points, 8 rebounds, 12 assists, 2 steals, and 3 blocks.

Golden State’s league-leading defense once again gave their offense time to find a rhythm. Despite the Trail Blazers’ schematic shifts under Billups, their offense still relies heavily on guards C.J. McCollum and Damian Lillard. They finished a combined 11-for-32 from the field.

Trailing by 21 entering the fourth quarter, Anfernee Simmons led Portland’s final run of the game, scoring 13 fourth-quarter points and cutting the lead to single digits, but Curry responded with two threes that brought the lead back to 14. Lillard and McCollum built a little run late, but the Warriors had built an insurmountable lead, finishing regulation ahead 118-103.

The Warriors now head on a short road trip to Los Angeles, where they will take on the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday, November 28th at 12:30 pm PST.

Did you miss the postgame Twitch stream? You can rewatch it here: