Warriors Vs. Trail Blazers 3/3/2021

The Trail Blazers came into this game after snapping a 4 game losing streak. The Warriors came into this game after an embarrassing 26 point loss to the Lakers. These 2 teams played twice earlier in the season and the Trail Blazers won the first game by 25 and then in the second game Stephen Curry had a career high 62 point game to lead the Warriors to a 15 point win. Kelly Oubre Jr. nor C.J. McCollum would play in this game so it would be interesting to see how that would affect both teams. This game would likely be a great duel between 2 All-NBA point guards. This was also the 36th game of the season for the Warriors which marked the halfway point of their season. This was not the Trail Blazers 36th game of the season it was their 34th game so they weren’t at the halfway point yet. For the Trail Blazers to win this game they needed to defend Stephen Curry well, force a bunch of turnovers, and Damian Lillard would likely need to have a nice game. For the Warriors to win they needed to score a bit more without Kelly Oubre Jr., defend Damian Lillard well, make sure not to foul, and Steph would likely need to have a nice game. Would the Steph have another nice game and lead the Warriors to a win over the Blazers despite Oubre Jr.’s absence or would Damian Lillard and the Blazers be able to play well and get the win? To the game!

Kevon Looney won the tip which led to a midrange jumper from Andrew Wiggins. At 9:35 Stephen Curry made a 3 to give the Warriors a 7 point lead. At the 9 minute mark Steph made another 3 to give the Warriors a 10-0 lead. At 8:03 Gary Trent Jr. made a fadeaway jumper to give the Blazers their first points of the game. At 7:50 Stephen Curry made another 3 to give the Warriors an 11 point lead. At 6:24 Robert Covington made a layup to make it an 8 point game. At 4:19 Carmelo Anthony made a corner 3 to make it a 3 point game. The next play James Wiseman made a dunk to retake a 5 point lead for the Warriors. Then at 2:10 Enes Kanter got a 3 point play to tie the game. At 1:52 Mychal Mulder made a 3 to give the Warriors the lead once again. The next play Rodney Hood made a 3 to tie the game for the Blazers once again. At 1:17 Stephen Curry got a 3 point play of his own to give the Warriors a 3 point lead. To end the quarter Rodney Hood missed a 3. At the end of the first quarter the Warriors were leading 29-28. The Warriors started off the quarter with a 15-2 run. In the first quarter Stephen Curry led the Warriors with 16 points and Damian Lillard led the Blazers with 7 points. In the first quarter the Warriors had 3 more assists, 4 fewer rebounds, 1 more steal, 1 more block, and 2 more fouls than the Blazers. The Warriors and Blazers each had 4 turnovers in the first quarter. The Warriors shot very well in the first quarter with 57.1% from the field and 44.4% from 3. The Blazers didn’t shoot as well with 40% from the field and 25% from deep. Both teams went into the second quarter looking to gain momentum and take a nice lead.

To start the 2nd quarter Rodney Hood made a floater to give the Trail Blazers their first lead of the game. At 10:36 Damion Lee made a 3 to give the Warriors their first points of the quarter. At the 10 minute mark Juan Toscano-Anderson made a corner 3 to give the Warriors a 2 point lead. At 8:13 Robert Covington got a technical foul and Brad Wanamaker made the technical free throw. At 8:06 Andrew Wiggins made a step back jumper to give the Warriors a 6 point lead. At the 7 minute mark Carmelo Anthony made a jumper to make it a 4 point game. At 6:39 Eric Paschall made a putback dunk to retake a 6 point lead for the Warriors. The next play Anfernee Simons made a 3 to make it a 3 point game. Then at 4:43 Kevon Looney made a dunk to give the Warriors a 5 point lead. At 3:05 Gary Trent Jr. got a 3 point play to cut it to a 4 point game. At 2:54 Steph got a 3 point play of his own to give the Warriors a 7 point lead once again. At 2:30 Derrick Jones Jr. made a 3 to make it a 4 point game. To end the quarter Kevon Looney missed a layup. At halftime the Warriors were leading 56-55. At halftime Stephen Curry had 23 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists to lead the Warriors. Draymond Green was also playing well with 2 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals. Carmelo Anthony led the Blazers with 11 points, a rebound, and a couple of assists. Gary Trent Jr. and Damian Lillard were also playing well with a combined 20 points, 1 rebound, 5 assists, and 2 steals. The Warriors played well in the first half with 3 more assists, 2 more rebounds, 1 more steal, 2 fewer blocks, and 1 more turnover than the Trail Blazers. The Warriors and Blazers also had 9 fouls each. The Warriors shot well in the first half with 45.8% from the field and 35.3% from 3. The Blazers shot a bit worse than the Warriors in the first half but still shot well with 41.3% from the field and 28.6% from downtown. Both teams went into the third quarter hoping to gain momentum and take a 10+ point lead. To the third!

To start the 3rd quarter Kevon Looney slammed in a dunk to give the Warriors a 3 point lead. At 10:17 Covington made a corner 3 to tie the game at 58 and give the Blazers their first points of the quarter. The next play Andrew Wiggins made a 3 to help the Warriors retake the lead. At 9:37 Kent Bazemore made a corner 3 to give the Warriors a 6 point lead. At 6:34 Derrick Jones Jr. made a 3 to tie the game at 67 for the Blazers. Then at the 6 minute mark Enes Kanter got a 3 point play to give the Blazers a 3 point lead. At 5:07 Mychal Mulder made a 3 to give the Warriors a 2 point lead. At 2:10 Carmelo Anthony got a 3 point play to give the Blazers the lead. With 54.4 seconds left in the quarter Steph made an insane layup to give the Warriors the lead. With 40.9 seconds left in the quarter Enes Kanter got a 3 point play to give the Blazers the lead back. With 25 seconds left in the quarter Damian Lillard made a stepback jumper to give the Blazers a 4 point lead. To end the quarter Stephen Curry made 2 of 3 free throws to make it a 2 point game. At the end of the third quarter the Blazers were leading 82-80. At the end of the third quarter Stephen Curry was leading the Warriors with 26 points and Melo was leading the Blazers with 16 points. In the first 3 quarters the Warriors had 8 more assists, 2 more rebounds, 3 more steals, 3 fewer blocks, and 5 more fouls than the Blazers. The Warriors and Blazers each had 9 turnovers in the first 3 quarters. The Warriors shot well in the first 3 quarters with 43.1% from the field and 34.5% from 3. The Blazers also shot well with 41.2% from the field and 28.6% from deep. Both teams went into the 4th quarter looking to play well, close out the game, and get the win.

To start the 4th quarter Damion Lee made a 3 to give the Warriors the lead. At 11:26 Gary Trent Jr. made a jumper to retake the lead for the Blazers. At 11:06 Eric Paschall made 1 of 2 free throws to tie the game at 84 for the Warriors. At 10:43 Anfernee Simons made a 3 to give the Blazers the lead. At 9:50 Brad Wanamaker made a layup to give the Warriors the lead once again. Then at 9:26 Melo made a step back jumper to give the Blazers the lead back. At 8:41 Andrew Wiggins made a 3 to give the Warriors a 2 point lead. At 5:24 Stephen Curry made a step back 3 to give the Warriors a 5 point lead. At 2:06 Dame made a 3 to tie the game at 103. The next play at 1:43 Draymond Green made a 3 to give the Warriors a 106-103 lead. With 51.5 seconds left in the game Damian Lillard made 2 free throws to make it a 1 point game. With 14 seconds left in the game Dame made a very deep 3 to give the Blazers a 2 point lead. Then with 4.1 seconds left in the game Draymond Green got called for an offensive foul which was a charge on Lillard. With 3.5 seconds left in the game Draymond fouled Covington who missed both free throws. Damion Lee got the rebound for the Warriors but missed a half court heave that would’ve given the Warriors the win. The Trail Blazers won 108-106.

Leo’s Courtside Commentary: This was a very close game where the Warriors were leading most of the game. The Warriors were not able to close out the game though due to the final 5 points being from Damian Lillard. Stephen Curry led the Warriors with 35 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals. Draymond Green also played well for the Warriors with 5 points, 9 rebounds, 12 assists, and 3 steals. Damian Lillard led the Blazers with 22 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals. Carmelo Anthony also played well off the bench for the Blazers with 22 points, 2 rebounds, and 4 assists. The Warriors ended with 12 more assists, 7 more rebounds, 3 more steals, 3 fewer blocks, 1 more turnover, 7 fewer points off turnovers, and 8 more fouls than the Trail Blazers. The Warriors also made 13 fewer free throws than the Blazers. The fact that the Warriors had a combined 20 fewer points off turnovers and free throws made was essential to the Trail Blazer win. The Warriors ended with 42.3% from the field, 35.7% from downtown, and 64.3% from the free throw line. The Blazers shot a little bit worse than the Warriors with 41.9% from the field, 28.6% from 3, and 84.6% on free throws. Kelly Oubre Jr.’s absence in this game didn’t help the Warriors either. This was a very fun game to watch and I was on the edge of my seat the entire time but sadly the Warriors were not able to get the win. Overall, this was a disappointing loss for the Warriors and a lost opportunity.