Down 0-2, it is more important now than ever that they recognize what went right while addressing what went wrong.
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Thompson, coming off a career playoff-high 37 points in Sunday’s 118-106 Game 1 win, shot 7 for 20 with five 3-pointers.
The Golden State Warriors will be without star Stephen Curry for game three of their series against the Portland Trail Blazers.
Curry returned from an ankle injury before hurting his knee on April 24 when he slipped on the court shortly before halftime of a Game 4 victory against the Houston Rockets in the playoffs’ first round.
With his team up 2-0 on the Portland Trail Blazers in the Western Conference semifinals, Warriors coach Steve Kerr bluntly expressed just how crucial it’s been to have Livingston as Curry’s safety net.
“Our advantage is being able to push it in transition and get them scrambling and not allow them to set up their defense”, Lillard said. Portland only scored six points over the last 5:21. Green ended with 17 points, 14 rebounds, and two explosive dunks that sealed the deal for Golden State.
“Kyle Lowry’s three, as soon as it left his hands, I think everyone in the building kind of had an idea that would go”, Spoelstra said. “Our job is to stay ready and be ready to make an impact”. However, Lillard never scored in the fourth period, and McCollum had only one meaningless hoop in the final 5:51. But his statistics don’t show how his energy disrupted Lillard, who had 17 of his 25 points in the third quarter but didn’t score in the fourth.
“Today was by far the best he looked, and he has made progress each day”, Kerr said. It appears that at least for one more game they don’t have to worry. “Between Festus and Draymond those guys did a great job of protecting the paint”.
Kerr has maintained he would like Curry to practice on consecutive days to test out his Grade 1 MCL sprain in his right knee before he plays in a game. That would be getting the ball to the open man any way you would want to describe it. “The other team comes out angry, (and) maybe you let your guard down a little bit”. The biggest hurdle is not against the Clippers or Trail Blazers but the Spurs and the Cavaliers. After practice, Kerr said he should have said Curry would “probably” not play even though he couldn’t envision the point guard doing so. It was an opportunity to get a win on the road.
“Andre (Iguodala) kept us in the game in the first half when things weren’t going too well”.
And then the fourth quarter happened.
Meanwhile, Stephen Curry did not practice Thursday with the Warriors and is unlikely to play in Game 3 at Portland.
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He added three hoops as the Warriors outscored the Trail Blazers 34-12 after entering the final period down 87-76.
