Down fifteen at the half, the Warriors had the Blazers just where they wanted.
The Blazers came out swinging, taking a 65-50 lead. It was a surprising burst, too, because Golden State seemed to lack energy and Portland’s star, Damian Lillard, went scoreless.
The lead came by way of a second-quarter surge as Portland’s role players outplayed GSW’s role players.
But the lead didn’t last.
Taking a page (again) out of their 2015-16 playbook, the Warriors went on a rampage with a free-flowing offense. In less than two minutes–that’s right, just 120 seconds–the Warriors cut the lead to three points! Steph and Klay hit a flurry of threes against a lackadaisical defense that left two of the best shooters to shoot at will.
That 15-point now gone, the teams went into the fourth with the game knotted 89 apiece.
Then the game became a ‘Battle of the Curry’s.’ Seth came on strong, stripping his brother a couple of times. He also hit two threes. One of those shots put the Blazers up, 111-110, with just under a minute to go.
But what sets Steph apart from his brother (and so many others) is his playing-making down the stretch. He drew a double-team and then dumped the ball off to Green in the screen-and-roll. That score gave the Warriors a 114-111 lead with 10 seconds left.
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Portland looked to Lillard to take a game-tying three. But ‘old man’ Iggy turned back the clock and stripped Dame as he went up for the shot.
Ball game! Warriors win 114-111 to go up 2-0 in the series.
In the post-game presser, Steve Kerr was asked if he thought the Warriors had stolen a game that his team was destined to lose (down 15, as they were, at halftime). “Yes, we were lucky,” Kerr said. “They outplayed us, but we found a way to come up with a victory.”
How do things look for Game 3 tonight in Portland?
Well, don’t expect Kevin Durant to play. It looks like he’ll miss this game and at least one more, too. But the good news is that Boogie Cousins may be returning to action soon–unless Kerr decides to hold him for the Finals.
Portland will need Lillard and McCollum to have massive home games. The Blazers will also need to play defense. Portland can’t again allow Golden State to do what it did in the third quarter of Game 2.
Keep an eye on Enes Kanter. He’s having trouble guarding Steph (he’s not alone) and following Green on the pick-and-roll. There’s a third issue, too. In accordance with Ramadan practice, Kanter is fasting from sundown to sunrise. The fast includes refraining from water during timeouts, which is tough on any basketball player. You have to respect the man for following his religion with conviction.
But that doesn’t change the circumstance. It’s crunch time for Portland. Will the Blazers come through?
Game 3 prediction – Blazers 125, Warriors 118
