Golden State Warriors stifle Trail Blazers with defense in Game 2
The Golden State Warriors used an impressive defensive effort in the second half to blow out the Portland Trail Blazers in Game 2 on Wednesday night.
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Without Kevin Durant on the floor, the Golden State Warriors hardly skipped a beat in Game 2 on Wednesday night. After using a heroic fourth quarter from Draymond Green to lift the team to a victory in Game 1 on Sunday, Golden State carried that momentum over from the beginning.
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Despite the fact that Stephen Curry was cold shooting the ball from the beginning, the team managed to push themselves to a 16-point advantage after the first quarter. The vibe in Oracle was that of a blowout from the very beginning.
The second quarter however played the role of a different story. Maybe a bit of a cold streak fell over the Warriors, because the Trail Blazers cut the advantage to single digits. That’s when JaVale McGee stepped in and provided a major impact on the game.
McGee was a monster in just 13 minutes of play and made a statement on the floor. Besides his 15 points that helped spark the team, he had four huge blocks that sent a message to the Trail Blazers that Golden State has a legit interior presence.
Whatever McGee did on the floor to help Golden State in that second quarter carried over through the half. From there, the Warriors stifled Portland on offense. The Trail Blazers scored just 12 points in the third quarter and Curry went to work picking pockets.
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The MVP guard had 4 steals and Green took notice on the floor. The defensive ace had three blocks to go along with 12 rebounds and 10 assists. In the final frame, Portland was limited to just 23 points.
It added up to just a 35-point second half for the Trail Blazers and that’s a guaranteed loss to Golden State no matter the team playing. Durant got to rest and the Warriors got to roll. It’s time for Game 3 and a chance for Golden State to put Portland on the brink.