The Golden State Warriors have continued their impressive recent form, recording their fifth-straight win and 12th in the last 14 after a 130-120 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers at Chase Center on Monday night.
The hosts were forced to work a little harder after a dominant first-half where they led by 19 points, with the Trail Blazers battling back thanks to an explosive 43-point third-quarter. The Warrior offense was too good though as the hosts had four 20-point scorers and made 21 threes in the 10-point win.
Gary Payton II and Jimmy Butler both had big nights for the Warriors
Jimmy Butler wasn't one of those 20-point scorers, but the 6x All-Star nonetheless reached a big milestone with his first triple-double in a Golden State uniform. Butler finished with 15 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists and three steals, with the 35-year-old continually probing the Portland defense and finding open teammates.
Butler may have had a triple-double, but Gary Payton II owned the night against his former team. After a rather forgettable tenure with the Trail Blazers, Payton took it out on his old squad with a career-high 26 points on 11-of-16 shooting from the floor. The veteran guard went 4-of-5 from beyond the arc and had 16 points in the first-half alone, continuing his recent offensive resurgence after 16 points against the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday.
SHEEEEESH Gary. Put it on a poster. pic.twitter.com/UAypvioCYR
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) March 11, 2025
Stephen Curry was closely monitored by noted Trail Blazers defender Toumani Camara throughout the night, but the 2x MVP still had 24 points which included going 5-of-11 from 3-point range. Moses Moody continued his excellent form with 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting, while Buddy Hield added to Payton's bench production with 20 on 6-of-9 from beyond the arc to go with seven assists and two steals.
Golden State were once again without Jonathan Kuminga and Brandin Podziemski, with Quinten Post earning the start in the latter's absence. The rookie center had an up-and-down performance but still did a lot of good, finishing with 11 points, seven rebounds and a career-high four blocks in 25 minutes.
The Warriors shot 52.9% from the floor and 51.2% from 3-point range, with the 130 points their best since Feb 21 against the Sacramento Kings. Golden State would have been slightly disappointed with their defense in the second-half as Deni Avdija (34 points) and Anfernee Simons (32 points) started to run riot.
The Warriors are all of a sudden nine games above .500 at a 37-28 record ahead of another matchup with the Kings at home on Thursday.