No Stephen Curry, no problem for the Golden State Warriors. Without the soon-to-be two-time MVP, the Warriors throttled the Blazers in the series opener 118-106 on Sunday. Meanwhile, the rest of the Warriors seem intent on doing whatever is in their power to convince Curry not to rush back.
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Portland Trail Blazers +10
Golden State Warriors -10
Over/Under 214
LOOK AHEAD
Portland looked tired at times after eliminating the Clippers in six games Friday night and travelling to the Bay Area on Saturday. A better start would help the Blazers to keep pace, but the Warriors had plenty to do with that also. Once again the backcourt duo of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum struggled against the Warriors ferocious defensive intensity and an early 20-point deficit proved too much to overcome.
Golden State has now allowed 225 points on 233 shots in 10 quarters since Curry went down just before halftime of Game 4 against the Rockets, outscoring the opposition by 72 points in those 120 minutes. Part of the Blazers slow start – they opened Sunday’s game 1 of 9, missed their first five three-point attempts and were down by 20 points after the first quarter – could be blamed on the short turnaround.
INJURIES
Curry started light workouts without movement on his injured right knee and is hopeful he can start scrimmaging with the team later this week, perhaps in time to be ready for Game 3 of the series. Coach Steve Kerr said it’s “pretty slim” the reigning MVP will be ready to play in Game 2 on Tuesday.
KEY MATCHUP
With Curry sidelined because of a bum knee, Klay Thompson has taken over, shooting lights-out and even draining triples from way out in Curry territory. Thompson scored 37 points on Sunday in another brilliant performance as his fellow Splash Brother watched from the bench. He hit seven more three-pointers to become the first player in NBA history to make at least seven threes in three straight playoff games.
Thompson nailed a triple Curry certainly was proud of, dropping in a 30-footer in the opening minutes of Game 1. He followed with another jumper and the Warriors were off and running. Thompson scored 18 of his points in the first quarter as the Dubs built a 20-point lead and never looked back. The length and athleticism of Thompson and the willingness of the Warriors to set picks and share the basketball, gave the Blazers fits on Sunday. Expect more of the same on Tuesday.
QUICK PICK
The Blazers were in a similar situation during their first round series with the Clippers, losing Game 1 handily before playing progressively better and taking advantage of a beat up club to eliminate L.A. in six games. It’s safe to say that, even without Curry, this isn’t the Clippers. And there’s a chance Curry could be back in the lineup before this NBA series ends, making things even more difficult for Portland.
Adjustments were made by Blazers’ coach Terry Stotts during the Clippers series, but Portland’s decision to go small on Sunday, while in theory a good move, didn’t reap the benefits. The Warriors are, after all, the masters at small-ball. Portland has a better chance of winning on its home floor than it does at Oracle, and they’ll need to, because there headed back to the Pacific Northwest in an 0-2 hole.
NBA Odds: Golden State 115, Portland 103
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