Tag: Mo Williams

Curry Returns But Warriors Drop a Chippy 113-101 Contest to Trailblazers

Published on by Matthew HarringtonLeave a comment

By Matthew Harrington

The Golden State Warriors became another victim in the Portland Trailblazers’ 10-game unbeaten streak, suffering a 113-101 loss at Oracle Arena Saturday night. The Trailblazers (12-2) rallied in the closing minutes of the third and start of the fourth quarter to come from behind in a chippy affair that saw three ejections, 53 combined personal fouls and seven technical fouls.

LaMarcus Aldrige had his third career 20-20 game, dropping 30 points on the Warriors while reeling in 21 rebounds. Klay Thompson led the Warriors with 30 points before fouling out in the fourth while Stephen Curry added 22 points on 8 of 21 shooting in his return to the lineup. Andre Iguodala did not play for the short-handed Warriors (8-6) after straining his left hamstring in Friday night’s loss to the Lakers.

Golden State held a 54-49 lead at the half, but a third-quarter scuffle sparked a Portland comeback. The Warriors held a 77-63 lead when Aldridge was leveled to the court. Wesley Matthews received a technical foul after taking exception to the play and in the aftermath the Trailblazers’ Joel Freeland and Andrew Bogut began jawing and shoving each other, sending both benches into chaos. The referees restored order, handing out six technical fouls and ejecting Draymond Green from the game along with Portland’s Mo Williams and Matthews.

The skirmish inspired the Trailblazers to go on a run for the remainder of the quarter, cutting the Golden State lead to 84-81 before completing the comeback on a 12-2 run to open the final stanza, coasting for a victory from there.

The Warriors now face unusual territory this season, sputtering through a three-game losing streak, including a two-game winless stretch at home. Last season, the Warriors only lost consecutive home games once, falling to the Houston Rockets and Milwaukee backs in both ends of a back-to-back. The Warriors have not lost more three games or more in a row at home since a five-game skid to end the 2011-12 season.

Golden State do not receive an opportunity to defend home-court until December, going on a four-game road trip with stops in New Orleans, Dallas, Oklahoma City before a return to California for clash with the Kings in Sacramento.

Tuesday’s tilt against New Orleans will give the Warriors their first look at the newly-branded Pelicans as well as a chance to try to regain a tie atop the Pacific Division standings with the Los Angeles Clippers. Golden State sits one back of first while New Orleans stands in dead last in the Southwest Division with a 6-6 record, tied for third-worst in the Western Conference.

Dismal second half drowns Warriors, lose 90-74 to the Trail Blazers

Published on by gabeschapiroLeave a comment

By Gabe Schapiro

In their final preseason tune-up, in what wasn’t a particularly well-played game for either side, the Golden State Warriors were defeated by the Portland Trail Blazers, 90-74. The Warriors had a solid first half, but the wheels fell off from there, doing more damage then they could overcome. Golden State finishes the preseason with a 3-4 record.

Coming out of the gate it was the Warriors who looked more crisp and ready to play. Portland was extremely sloppy, thanks in part to strong defensive play from Golden State, turning the ball over seven times and shooting just 33% from the field in the first quarter. The Warriors, on the other hand, turned the ball over just once. They made a few mistakes but as a whole played well. Klay Thompson led the way with eight points. Andre Iguodala chipped in another five. Damian Lillard was the only thing keeping the Trail Blazers in the game with seven points. At the end of one the Warriors had a 23-16 lead.

The second quarter saw both benches get extended play. The Trail Blazers started finding their shot and chipped away at the lead, but never managed to overtake it. Golden State’s starters returned and grabbed a hold of the momentum again. Curry caught fire, scoring eight points in the quarter including a big three-pointer in the waning seconds that lifted the fans to their feet. For Portland it was Mo Williams’ turn to keep them in the game, coming off the bench to the tune of 11 points in the quarter. It wasn’t enough, however, and through 24 minutes of play, the Warriors maintained their seven-point lead, 48-41.

Coming out of the locker room Golden State scored a quick three points to give them their biggest lead of the game at 11. From there, however, they completely lost their shot and things got ugly. Portland went on a 22-0 run, fueled in large part by Lillard and LaMarcus Aldridge, before the Warriors finally found the bottom of the net again with a little over two minutes to play in the quarter. After out-scoring Golden State 25-9 in the third, the Trail Blazers had grabbed a 66-57 lead.

The Warriors made a small push in the fourth quarter, at one point going on a 7-0 run, but they would never seriously threat re-taking the lead. Fans started heading for the exits in packs with several minutes remaining, as the Trail Blazers eased their way to victory.

Lillard had a game-high 21 points. Aldridge (16 points, 12 rebounds) and Nicolas Batum (10 points, 15 rebounds) both finished with double-doubles.

For Golden State Curry led the scoring with 17 points and a game-high six assists. Thompson finished with 16 points and five rebounds.

For the Warriors the regular season begins next Wednesday, October 30 when they will be taking on the LA Lakers at Oracle Arena.