Warriors Beat Trail Blazers 128-118 After Falling Behind 15-4
Golden State shook off a slow start at Chase Center with 18 threes and 29 assists on 42 made field goals.
The Warriors beat the Portland Trail Blazers 128-118 in a preseason game at Chase Center, and what decided it was how Golden State answered an ugly start. Portland led 15-4 early in the first quarter. The Warriors then ran off 11 straight points to tie it at 15-15 and played from ahead for most of the night.
Here's what to watch
That 11-0 stretch is a teaching moment. Draymond Green fed Stephen Curry for a layup, then set up Georges Niang for a layup and a three. Curry found Niang for another three. Pass, cut, shoot. No hero ball. The Warriors finished with 29 assists on 42 made field goals, against 21 assists on 42 makes for Portland.
Green's line tells the story: 7 points, 10 assists, 8 rebounds and 3 steals, with a team-best +18 in 24 minutes. As a team, Golden State had 10 steals to Portland's 4 and 13 turnovers to Portland's 17. The Warriors also won the fast-break battle, 19-12.
The shooters
Golden State hit 18 of 44 from three (41 percent). Al Horford came off the bench to go 5-for-8 from deep and score 15. Niang had 13 points in 16 minutes, was +17 and went 5-for-5 at the line. Curry led the Warriors with 20 points, though he was 7-for-19 overall and 3-for-11 from three, so it was a quieter shooting night than the scoring total suggests. Yaxel Lendeborg had 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting with 5 assists, and Brandin Podziemski also scored 17, going 6-for-7 at the line.
As a team the Warriors were 26-for-31 at the free-throw line and shot 49 percent from the field.
Portland's side
Damian Lillard led all scorers with 23 points, going a perfect 13-for-13 at the line. Ja Morant scored 19 on 8-of-10 shooting, and Scoot Henderson added 17 off the bench. Donovan Clingan grabbed 11 rebounds. The Blazers shot 14-for-40 from three (35 percent), four fewer makes than Golden State.
Portland trimmed the gap in the fourth, outscoring the Warriors 27-23 in the quarter, but the Warriors had led by as many as 25. They were up 67-58 at halftime and 105-91 heading into the fourth.
What's next
Golden State is 4-2 and 3-0 at home. The Warriors visit the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday, Oct. 21, at 10 p.m. ET. Expect that one to be a better test of whether this passing and spacing holds up when the competition tightens.