By: Ben Leonard
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The good vibes continued for the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday, but the hard work isn’t done yet. The Warriors won their first Pacific Division title in 39 years with their 122-108 victory over Portand, their last being in the 1975-76 season. Golden State still has several things to work on before the playoffs, but it can continue to rest its star players with the division in hand.

As Stephen Curry put it, “We might be a little subdued, but I think everybody is proud of what we’ve done. We still have 11 games left to keep getting better so I think everybody is focused on that. But I think everybody is pretty happy right now.”

Curry led the charge for Golden State, scoring 32 points and dishing out 10 assists, good for a double-double. In a matchup of star point guards, Curry slightly outplayed Damian Lillard, who scored 29 points and added 5 assists in a losing effort.

Lillard had to do much of the heavy lifting for the Blazers, who were without All-star LaMarcus Aldridge, forward Nicolas Batum, Chris Kaman, and guard Wesley Mathews. Matthews had averaged 15.9 points per game before his season-ending Achilles tear on March 5, and the Blazers have dropped five of their last eight games in his absence.

Golden State also had some injury concerns of their own, but certainly not to the same extent as Portland. Head coach Steve Kerr limited Klay Thompson to 25 minutes after missing three games over the Warriors’ perfect homestand due to a sore ankle. Nonetheless, Thompson still managed to score 16 points on 6-13 shooting. Overall, it was an outstanding night for the Warriors from the floor, who shot an impressive 60.2% from the floor, the first time since 2012 that a team had shot over 60% in Portland.

The Warriors did not get to clinch without some adversity. They fell behind 53-41 in the second quarter, but Curry’s shooting prowess left Golden State down just 62-57 at the half. Golden State then rode a strong third quarter, doubling Portland’s output in the period 36-18 to coast to a decisive victory. The Warriors will now move on to play the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday in a potential Western Conference playoff preview. Memphis’ ability to control the pace of the game will prove trying for Golden State, which thrives upon controlling the tempo.