The Portland Trail Blazers will try to stop a three-game skid against the Golden State Warriors tonight on the road.
After Portland’s narrow loss Sunday evening to the Detroit Pistons, the quick trip to San Francisco marks the second night of a difficult home-and-road back-to-back. It’ll also be the Blazers’ ninth game in 14 days — a stretch that has included eight road games. Considering the travel-heavy schedule, plus the fact the Warriors are rolling and relatively healthy, this game has all the makings of a scheduled loss for the Blazers, unless they fight off the power of conventional wisdom, tired legs and Stephen Curry.
Waiting for them at the Chase Center, Curry and the Warriors have won four straight and 11 of their last 13. The stretch — most of it coinciding with the trade deadline arrival of six-time All-Star Jimmy Butler — has rejuvenated Golden State’s season and pushed the Warriors to No. 6 in the Western Conference. Golden State’s last win came in a tight 115-110 contest at home Saturday night against the same Pistons that took down the Blazers 24 hours later.
Portland Trail Blazers (28-37) vs. Golden State Warriors (36-28)
Mon. March 10 @ 7pm Pacific
How to watch via antenna or cable: See your options on the Rip City Television Network
How to watch via streaming: BlazerVision in Oregon and Washington; NBA TV elsewhere (also available on streaming via NBA TV on League Pass)
Trail Blazers injuries: Deni Avdija (day-to-day); Robert Williams III, Deandre Ayton, Matisse Thybulle (out).
Warriors injuries: Brandin Podziemski, Jonathan Kuminga (out)
SBN Affiliate:Golden State of Mind
What to Watch For...
Stephen Curry.Davidson’s newest assistant GM has been in Olympic Gold Medal form during Golden State’s second-half renaissance. During this 11-of-13 stretch by the Warriors, Curry has averaged 30.4 points and 6.4 assists per game while shooting 50% from the field and 42.2% on over 12 3-point attempts per game. The blistering stretch included a 40-point performance last Thursday and a 56-burger against the Orlando Magic to close out February. Safe to say, the Blazers will have their hands full trying to contain Curry in front of his home fans who will be ready to ignite every time he touches the ball. Less than a day after frustrating Pistons star Cade Cunningham, Blazers forward Toumani Camara will likely be the man tasked with the Curry assignment. The two-time NBA MVP will present a formidable and intriguing challenge for the Western Conference Defensive Player of February.
Tired legs? As discussed above, this game is not only the second night of a back-to-back but Portland’s ninth game in 14 days. Sunday’s home game against Detroit provided a brief Pacific Northwest refuge from a long seven-game road trip, but the NBA scheduling gods immediately spat the Blazers back out in San Francisco. There’s an old NBA wise tale that the first game back from the road is the true final game of the trip. I don’t know what the wise tale preaches when the team then immediately plays one more game on the road the next day, but I’d imagine it’d also say it’s a challenge. Depending on the type of energy the Blazers show in the first quarter, we may know pretty fast if this will be a ball game or a simple formality inevitably ending in a lopsided win for Golden State.
What They’re Saying
After Draymond Green hit a late 3-point dagger to vanquish the Pistons Saturday, The Athletic’s Marcus Thompson II wrote about how the fiery veteran is still a huge piece of Golden State’s foundation (subscription required).
But they had enough fight. Because the arrival of Jimmy Butler has awakened the Warriors’ fighting spirit. And that puts Green in a familiar position.
A decade after he became a pillar for a dynasty, Green still has the Warriors’ hopes pinned to the salt-and-pepper felt board on his chin. He’s freshly 35. And still the Warriors’ heart and fire. Still a primary conductor of their offense. Still the center when it’s time to win. Still impacting winning.
Golden State’s recent surge was enough for NBA.com writer John Schuhmann to move the Warriors up six spots to No. 5 in his latest NBA power rankings. Schuhmann dove into how the addition of Butler has helped Curry and the defense.
Curry has handled the ball more since Butler’s addition (5.3 minutes per game, 17.5% of his time on the floor) than he did prior (4.5 minutes, 14.1%). But he’s seen a drop in the percentage of his shots (from 56% to 50%) that have been self-created, per Second Spectrum tracking.
The bigger improvement since adding Butler has come on offense, but the Warriors have now allowed just 106.7 points per 100 possessions (forcing 18.3 turnovers per 100) in the 12 games he’s played in, including just 103.0 per 100 in Butler’s 378 minutes on the floor.