Stephen Curry in street clothes during the Warriors’ Game 2 victory over the Trail Blazers in in Oakland on May 3.
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Said Lillard: “You don’t want to be down 0-3, especially not to this team”.
It was the Trail Blazers who got more contributions from up and down their roster. On Saturday, Golden State conceded 17 three-pointers, many of them wide open, marking the third time this season that Portland has really gotten loose from deep against them.
“Now they’re feeling like they can do it”, Green said about the Blazers. I think they will come out with the same fire as they did in Game 2, but they won’t fall apart in the fourth quarter-not for a second time in a row, and definitely not in Portland. It was one of just nine losses for the Warriors in a record-setting 73-win season. “Tonight, I just wanted to come out and be aggressive”.
The Warriors saw Harrison Barnes struggle to score seven points on 2-for-8 shooting and Andre Iguodala finish with one point and five missed field goal attempts. Draymond Green’s 19-point third quarter, unlike his fourth-quarter takeover, didn’t have much impact on the game.
Lillard made a playoff splash in 2014 when his buzzer-beating 3-pointer against the Rockets sent the Blazers into the second round for the first time in 14 years.
With fewer defensive stops, there were also fewer opportunities to run, and the Warriors managed just two fast-break points, never quite demonstrating their signature electricity.
“Today, I thought he looked like himself”. It wasn’t exactly the start the Blazers were hoping for but they did enough to avoid falling into too big of a hole early.
“The great thing with Steph is he is smart, he’s easy to talk to and reason with”, Kerr said.
In truth, if not for a career-high 37 points and eight three-pointers from Green, the Warriors were at risk of being run off the court.
Thus, in the short term, it’s likely that the Blazers shooting woes will continue and the team’s success against the Warriors will be contingent upon Harkless and Aminu finding their range.
Curry, who averaged 30.1 points, 6.7 assists and 5.4 rebounds during the regular season, has seen his numbers drop in the only two playoff games he’s played. Ezeli played under six minutes in the first half on Saturday. The plate includes the team’s pinwheel logo and the words “Rip City.”.
“Dame getting 40, that’s not going to beat us if we don’t let Aminu get (23), (Allen) Crabbe off the bench get 10”, Green said.
Curry returned to practice Friday with a brace on his knee. Though Curry said earlier in the week he was hopeful he could suit up for Game 3 of this series, the Warriors have exercised caution with him, easing him into on-court drills.
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Therefore, Green sees Game 4 as an opportunity to wipe away the sour memories of Game 3.
