The Portland Trail Blazers take on the Golden State Warriors tonight at 7:30 P.S.T.
After losing by 43 at the hands of Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks, the Portland Trail Blazers look to get back on track against the Golden State Warriors.
Although the Warriors are never an easy matchup, they are currently on a four-game losing streak and will be missing two of their superstars: Stephen Curry and Draymond Green.
Stephen Curry suffered a strain left groin in a November 8 performance against the Bucks. He has missed the team’s last seven games, during which the Warriors have gone 2-5 and look a bit out-of-sorts following a Kevin Durant-Draymond Green altercation.
This heated exchange between the stars is likely in the past now, however. On November 21, Kevin Durant spoke to the media, saying he felt the team was “rejuvenated” after airing out their grievances.
Kevin Durant just spent almost 15 minutes patiently fielding questions from the media. He says the group is ‘rejuvenated’ after a rough week. He seems to be in a much better place than he was a few days ago.
— Nick Friedell (@NickFriedell) November 21, 2018
Still, the group will need to find their groove on the court before the rest of the NBA world truly believes this.
Draymond Green himself is also listed as out for tonight’s game due to a toe injury. He has missed the club’s last three games.
The Warriors will be trying to right the ship with a shorthanded crew.
Without both Curry and Green, the Warriors will be forced to rely on Quinn Cook, Shaun Livingston, Jordan Bell, and Kevon Looney more than usual. Perhaps more important than the spat between their forwards during this skid has been the thinness of the roster around Golden State’s four best players.
Damian Lillard and/or CJ McCollum should look to take advantage of the Warriors’ skeleton crew backcourt. Although Klay Thompson is one of the league’s best defenders and shooters, he can only do so much against one of the best backcourts in the league. Whichever guard finds themselves free of him should attack their matchup.
Thompson himself has struggled offensively this year. Since Curry’s absence, he has shot 18/63 from beyond the arc over seven games. Everyone and their mother will remind you that a big Klay game is coming (you know, where he scores a billion points on half a dribble), but let’s hope that performance is waiting in the wings for another night.
The Warriors will likely find themselves relying on Durant for offense, especially if Thompson stays in his slump. One of the best scorers ever, nobody can truly stop Durant. But the Blazers’ at least stand a chance at containing him with Al-Farouq Aminu.
Evan Turner, on the other hand, may have his hands full when he checks into the game and is forced to matchup with the insanely long-limbed Durantula.
Portland should look to make things as difficult as possible for Durant and force the Warriors’ reserves to go toe-to-toe with their backcourt and well-oiled second-unit.
The Blazers look to gain the advantage in their first of four games against the Warriors this season and retake first place in the Western Conference from the Memphis Grizzlies (yes, you read that correctly – the Memphis Grizzlies).
The action starts tonight at 7:30 P.S.T.