By George Devine, Sr.
The lead changed 16 times in the Warriors-Trailblazers nailbiter at Oracle Arena, and the four regulation periods were not enough to settle the contest, which ended in a 119-117 win for Portland. The outcome assures the visitors at least a fifth-seed in the NBA playoffs. Portland has won 4 straight games and 8 of their last 9. The Dubs are now two games behind the victors and will need to win one of their next two games to clinch the sixth-seed.
In the last period of regulation, Draymond Green hit a three-pointer for Golden State to tie the score and Wesley Matthews’ attempt to do likewise failed. The field goal which gave the Blazers the lead for good, with just under 40 seconds left in OT, was scored by LaMarcus Aldridge, who had 26 points on the evening. Damian Lillard contributed a free throw before Andre Iguodala missed a trey with just under 3 seconds left. Matthews — who scored 24 points of his own — got the rebound ad that was the end of the game.The point totals for Aldridge and Matthews would have been impressive, had Golden State’s Stephen Curry not scored 47. This was the third time this season that he has come in at over 40. In the first half alone, he notched 21, which is a formidable number for any player in the NBA.
In other scoring: Klay Thompson added 25 for the home team and Iguodala had 15. For Portland, Nicolas Batum came in at 18, Robin Lopez was good for 16 and Lillard pitched in with 13..
In close games like this one, many individual factors can make a difference. One which could have proved decisive was the fact that center Andrew Bogut — who is key to Golden State’s defense, especially inside — was not on the court during the overtime period. He was reported to be having an X-ray for a possible rib injury. Whether or not he will be able to play in the game against Minnesota at Oakland is not yet determined. His history of recent injury problems has been a significant problem for the Warriors.
The game against the Timberwolves tips off at 7:30 p.m. PDT on Monday, April 14 at Oracle.