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Damian Lillard had 29 points, CJ McCollum had a career-high 23 points, but the Portland Trail Blazers fell at home to the Golden State Warriors, 122-108 Tuesday night at Moda Center.
Despite their depleted starting lineup, Portland refused to bow down to Golden State in the first. Lillard scored 12 on 3-of-6 shooting, and the rest of the team followed suit. Dorell Wright, starting for LaMarcus Aldridge, scored seven on 3-of-4 shooting, and Alonzo Gee, starting for Nicolas Batum, added four. A three by Wright gave Portland the lead, and the Blazers extended their advantage to as many as eight. The lone issue was the bench, which shot 0-for-5 in the period. Portland would lead by four after one.
After some quick scoring by Portland, Golden State went on a 7-0 run to tie the game at the start of the second quarter. Someone needed to step up to reverse the tide, and CJ McCollum answered the call. McCollum shot 4-of-5 in the period for 10 points, scoring seven straight at one point, and led a 15-4 run to give Portland a lead as big as eleven. Lillard scored six, and the Blazers forced six turnovers in the period to keep Golden State at bay. A late rally by Stephen Curry closed the gap to five at halftime.
Good shot selection seemingly went out the window for Portland in the second half. They missed eleven of their first fourteen shots, with half of the misses coming on off balance prayers. The Blazers also went from two turnovers in the first half to three in the third quarter alone, allowing Golden State to go on an 21-3 run. Portland shot just 7-of-24 in the period, with Lillard scoring eight and McCollum adding five. With 13 in the period by Curry, Golden State led by 13 after three.
The Warriors continued their onslaught in the final period, with Portland only able to get within nine on a three by Allen Crabbe. While the Blazers kept fighting, the game was not really in question.
McCollum led the bench in scoring, while Steve Blake was second with ten. Wright finished with 12 points, though he missed every shot he took in the second half. Gee had ten points. Every Blazer scored except Meyers Leonard. Curry led the Warriors with 33. Overall, Golden State shot 59.8% from the field.
Gameday Thread Comments of the Night
Thanks to all who participated in tonight's Gameday Thread, despite the unmemorable second half. Here were a few thoughts from the group:
We may have lost but I'm really happy to see CJ kill it. Hopefully that benefits us long term.
by dpnim
We gave it a shot. There wasn't really ever a chance to win so to have a 5 point lead at the half was pretty good. A fully healthy Blazer squad could probably win this. A blazer squad missing 3/5 of our starting lineup and our leading scorer off the bench? Not so much. Let’s just try to get back on track before playoffs start.
by pdxthomastran
LMA looking really sharp [in a suit]. So there’s that.
by gumbypuppy
Post-Game Reaction
Stotts said he didn't know if Aldridge, Batum and Kaman would make the trip to Utah. Team plane leaves in an hour so decision coming soon.
— Mike Richman (@mikegrich) March 25, 2015
Aldridge, Batum and Kaman all on the team plane traveling with the team...still undecided if they'll play vs #Jazz or #Suns Fri ... #Blazers
— Jabari Young (@JabariJYoung) March 25, 2015