Play-In picture gets clearer for Golden State Warriors after scratchy win in Portland

It was far from pretty but the Golden State Warriors have kept their hopes of the Western Conference's eighth-seed alive, overcoming a six-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat the Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center on Thursday.

Playing without Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Gary Payton II, the Warriors failed to bring their history-making offense from Tuesday's game in Los Angeles. In a scrappy affair with little rhythm, the visitors had to do it on defense as the Trail Blazers were shut out in the fourth-quarter.

The Golden State Warriors rallied late to claim a 100-92 victory that sees them tie the Sacramento Kings' record for the eighth-seed

Golden State finished the game on a 21-7 run over the final nine minutes, with Portland going over six fourth-quarter minutes without a field-goal. It was the Warrior veterans who got the job done, led by Stephen Curry who put a poor shooting night behind him to score eight points over the last eight minutes.

Chris Paul added the dagger three in the final two minutes, while Kevon Looney returned to the rotation and closed the game after some huge rebounds and a critical steal in the final period.

After shooting an impeccable 63.4% from three-point range on Tuesday, Golden State were limited to 12-of-35 shooting (34.3%) from beyond the arc. The Trail Blazers had 20 more field-goal attempts thanks to 20 offensive rebounds and 16 Warrior turnovers, but the hosts shot just 36.1% from the floor and 23.5% from three-point range.

Curry recored a team-high 22 points on 8-of-22 shooting and 5-of-16 from deep, while also adding seven rebounds and eight assists in over 36 minutes. Jonathan Kuminga started in place of Green and had 19 points and six rebounds, yet the 21-year-old was often left frustrated after a team-high four turnovers.

Trayce Jackson-Davis did a bit of everything with 10 points, eight rebounds, four assists and four blocks, but it was his fellow center in Looney who may have been the unsung hero after playing more than 20 minutes for the first time since January 12. The 28-year-old had nine points, 11 rebounds, four blocks, two steals and was a game-high +19 in 21 minutes.

Following the eight-point win, the Warriors are now tied for the eighth-seed with the Sacramento Kings after they lost 135-123 to the New Orleans Pelicans at home. Sacramento still hold the season-series, meaning Golden State (assuming they win out) will need Sacramento to lose one of their final two games.

The Warriors will host the Pelicans at Chase Center on Friday, while the Kings will host the Phoenix Suns in two games that could well determine seeds six through ten ahead of the Play-In Tournament.