Golden State Warriors Look to Extend Win Streak in Portland
By Andrew Ites
After a tight victory over the Spurs, the Warriors will travel to Portland and try to win their eighth straight game on the second night of a back-to-back.
Steph Curry tweaked his right ankle in the first quarter on Thursday night, but the Warriors rallied to pick up a 110-107 win over San Antonio to extend their winning streak to seven games after the All-Star break.
Friday night’s trip to Portland makes this one of the most challenging back-to-back sets of the season for Golden State.
The Blazers have won eight games in a row as they’ve surged to the number three spot in the Western Conference standings. In addition to taking on a tough opponent in a hostile environment with no rest, the injury bug has bitten the Warriors.
Golden State’s coaching staff will play it safe with Curry’s most recent ankle injury, and Steve Kerr already said that Steph will not be on the floor in Portland during his postgame press conference on Thusday night.
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David West and Andre Iguodala missed Thursday’s win over the Spurs, and their status is questionable for Friday night. Patrick McCaw and Jordan Bell will almost certainly be on the sideline for this one.
All of these injuries will test the Warriors’ depth on the bench.
Shaun Livingston played very well in an expanded role with 9 points, 7 assists, and 7 rebounds against the Spurs, and Omri Casspi provided some solid minutes off the bench. Quinn Cook was forced to play over 20 minutes as he filled in for Curry, and Nick Young scored 12 points and provided a couple of hustle plays on Thursday night.
A win in Portland on Friday night would be the most impressive victory of the season if this banged-up Warriors team can pull it off.