Share

Warriors’ Curry officially out of Game 3 against Blazers

“One of the reasons we keep their minutes under check during the regular season is so they can be in this position during the playoffs”. To act as if the Blazers, who we ought to stop underestimating right about now, are some kind of pushover, some kind of red capret to the conference finals, is woefully ignorant to the facts. The last Portland player to score 25 or more points in four straight playoff games was Arvydas Sabonis (1996). The Warriors also held the Blazers to 30% shooting and snuffed out a variety of interior looks the Blazers attempted. Portland remained undefeated (4-0) at home in the playoffs because Stotts played Lillard, Aminu and C.J. McCollum (22 points after recovering from a 1-for-7 start) for at least 41 minutes each. The Trail Blazers led 87-76 going into the fourth quarter of Game 2, but were outscored 34-12 the rest of the way.

Advertisement

Allen Crabbe had come off the bench to provide 10 points through three quarters (and an eventual impact of +25 in 30 minutes overall), but it was always going to come down to the fourth for Lillard.

“I think this was my worst game of the series”, Green said. That’s cute. But I didn’t do what I do for this team. That goes for more than just scoring the ball. “I just wanted to come out and be aggressive and leave it all out there”.

Aside from Thompson and Draymond Green, who finished with with a team-high 37, the Warriors’ offense was stagnant.

It was the Trail Blazers who got contributions from up and down their roster. Another three pushed the lead to 22-16 and Thompson led all scorers after the first quarter with 18 points. “You could just tell they were unsure about everything they were doing in the first quarter …”

Venue: Moda Center, Portland, Ore.

About 90 minutes before the tip-off, Steve Kerr announced that Stephen Curry would not be playing in Game 3.

“I was really happy with the way we played”, said Lillard. A lot of times the team will go as I go. “I know we need to be better in that department and that falls on my shoulders”.

“If we make them work on the defensive end, Dame [Lillard] ain’t hitting those shots in the fourth quarter”, Green said. Al-Farouq Aminu, a complementary option and often-erratic shooter, finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Goran Dragic scored 12 points and Joe Johnson had 10. “He’s not going to play tonight, though”.

Asked at practice if there was still a chance, Kerr dropped the “Dumb and Dumber” movie line, “You saying there’s a chance?” but indicated it’s highly unlikely since Curry has still yet to participate in a scrimmage.

And then, there was Aminu. Thompson has scored a total of 64 points in the last two matches while Green is remarkably impressive with 40 points, 27 rebounds, and 18 assists to go along with seven blocked shots in this series. 397 on 3-point shots and.

Kyle Lowry scored 33 points to help the Toronto Raptors overcome the loss of center Jonas Valanciunas and beat the Heat 95-91 in Miami. Because this Blazers team, if you think about it, is eerily reminiscent of that Warriors team that burst onto the scene in 2013 by upsetting the third-seeded Denver Nuggets – the little team that could anchored by a dynamic, 3-point-bombing backcourt yet to fully realize its grand potential.

Advertisement

Curry could very well return in Game 4 after participating in basketball activities and some light contact with a 2-on-2 session before Game 3.

Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry unlikely to play in Game 3