Blazers host Warriors: 3 keys to nationally televised game
By Nate Mann
The Portland Trail Blazers play just one more game before the All-Star break…and it’s against the Golden State Warriors.
After two days of rest, the Portland Trail Blazers face the Golden State Warriors. This marks Portland’s final game before a nine-day break for All-Star Weekend.
The Blazers lost its last game in embarrassing fashion. Utah came back from a one-point halftime deficit to win by 19 points and continue its win streak.
Once again, the Trail Blazers were unable to put together three consecutive wins.
The team stays in Portland for a 7:30 p.m. PT game versus the defending champs. It will be nationally televised on ESPN and announced by none other than Blazers legend Bill Walton.
Starting Lineup
Terry Stotts recently swapped two players in his go-to starting lineup. Evan Turner missed the game against the Detroit Pistons and has been on a minutes restriction since.
In Turner’s absence, Maurice Harkless stole back his starting small forward spot. He’s performed semi-consistently on offense in the few games, but surprisingly the team’s defense has dipped since his promotion.
Still, Harkless figures to maintain the starting position even with Turner looking fully healthy.
PG: Damian Lillard | SG: CJ McCollum | SF: Maurice Harkless | PF: Al-Farouq Aminu | C: Jusuf Nurkic
Jusuf Nurkic is questionable for Wednesday’s matchup though. He left Sunday’s loss with lower back soreness and right hip pain, but has two full days to recover.
3 Keys to the Game
Get Dame help on offense
Last time the Blazers played the Warriors, Damian Lillard accounted for 39 of the team’s 104 points. The same goes for the last two games, in which Dame has scored 50 and 39 respectively.
Outside of he and CJ McCollum, no Blazer has supplied consistent offense.
Golden State has too good of an defense (and offense) for only two players to carry Portland’s scoring.
Plus, they need to shoot extremely well to keep up with the Warriors. The Blazers haven’t shot well this year – 19th in the league at 45.3%. GSW ranks first at 51.0%.
Shoot well on the pass
There’s a correlation between assist numbers and the Blazers winning. During the seven wins in eight games, they consistently recorded at least 20 assists per game. However, the team still ranks last in the league with 19.1 assists each contest.
In the last matchup between these two, the Warriors recorded 12 more assists than the Blazers (26-14). To elevate the offense, Portland needs to shoot better off the pass (AKA knock down the open looks).
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Play strong through all four quarters
In Sunday’s loss, the Blazers were outscored 38-19 in the third quarter. It put the game out of reach despite a one-point lead at halftime and an even fourth quarter.
No team can beat the Warriors while taking a quarter off. Portland needs to buck this recent trend of taking a quarter off.
Players outside of Dame and CJ must contribute offensively for this to happen. Otherwise, Golden State focuses their league-leading defense on the backcourt and shuts down the entire Blazers offense.