The Warriors take a 3-0 lead over the Blazers
The Golden State Warriors have taken a commanding 3-0 lead over the Portland Trailblazers as Steph Curry’s 34 points carried them to a comeback victory.
The Golden State Warriors might not actually need any players and they could still win. They were without Kevin Durant, Shaun Livingston, and Matt Barnes once again. And, due to illness, Steve Kerr was not on the sidelines.
Instead, Mike Brown ran things and it wasn’t looking promising early. The Portland Trailblazers were feeding off the energy in the Moda Center. They jumped off to a big start, hitting shots and stifling the Warriors on the other end.
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The Blazers scored 37 points in the first quarter. The Warriors couldn’t stop the bleeding in the second quarter, and went into the halftime break trailing 67-54. Every time they tried to make a run, Portland kept them at bay.
But even without Durant and Kerr, the Warriors are still the most talented team in the league. They have the two-time MVP in Stephen Curry, an All-Star sharpshooter in Klay Thompson, and an All-Defensive stud in Draymond Green. Those three combined with the leagues best bench is enough to beat anyone.
Brown’s Warriors made adjustments. They settled down and played their brand of basketball. The jumpers started to fall and the Blazers defense was spread.
Golden State got a huge boost from JaVale McGee, who played a key role in their comeback. McGee had 14 points in 15 minutes. He energized the team with his rim runs and athletic finishes.
Curry and Thompson, after a slow first half, started to put it together. With Durant out, the Splash Brothers needed to step up once again. Curry and Thompson had 34 points and 24 points respectively.
At one point, the Warriors went on a 19-1 run. Andre Iguodala has his legs under him and finished with 16 points off the bench. He was aggressive, running in transition and finishing strong at the rim.
Curry closed it out with two isolation possessions. He stepped back for a big three. Then, on the next possession, he iso’d again and knocked down a midrange jumper.
He hit the daggers that sealed the comeback for the Warriors. The Dubs are now up 3-0 in the first round and are definitely in the driver’s seat. They play Game 4 on Monday in Portland.