The Portland Trail Blazers exit Oracle for the last time with a win

The Warriors’ woes

Golden State could get absolutely nothing going from deep or the free throw line.

Regularly a 37.6% three-point shooting team, ranked fourth in the league, the Warriors went 13-for-44 from beyond the arc (29.5%) in their defeat. Klay Thompson was especially rough, going only 2-9 from deep and finishing 6-19 from the field for the game.

Draymond Green’s stroke has steadily escaped him since 2015-16, and he is now shooting his worst three-point percentage since his rookie season (22.6%) and teams are daring him to chuck up something at the rim every time down. The Blazers were blatant in their using this strategy, opting for Green’s man to hang tight in the paint and clog up passing lanes rather than prevent a shot.

Green ended the game with 15 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists. Although he put up decent numbers himself, it was obvious this Dare-mond strategy disrupted the Warriors’ rhythm.

The Warriors also had trouble shooting from the charity stripe. Normally an 82.1% free throw shooting team, good for second in the NBA, they went 6-15. They attempted about seven fewer free shots than normal as well. Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, and Thompson, all premier free throw shooters, combined for 4/11 from there against the Blazers.

Golden State is one of the most consistent shooting teams from anywhere on the court, and their dud on Thursday night certainly helped Portland stack another W.

Close game

Throughout the game, the Blazers held the lead. But the Warriors continually hung around, hovering between 10 and five points. Now, this part of the game is normal. Golden State regularly hangs around, biding their time until they can flip everything into hyperdrive.

Only this time, hyperdrive came only in the very final moments. With nearly three minutes to go, CJ McCollum nailed a “dagger” three-pointer to push the Blazers’ lead to 96-86. Portland should’ve felt safe and secure.

But seconds later, Steph comes flying down the court for a three of his own. In seconds, the buzzer is sounding, and the game is tied at 102.

The referees put an additional 0.2 seconds on the clock after a Lillard air-ball during Portland’s final possession. And Curry gets a chance to toss it into play for a tip-in win. The ball goes right through the basket, the only problem is nobody touched it.

Had Andre Iguodala gotten a finger on the ball, the game would’ve been over. Instead: overtime.

The Blazers got down early, but McCollum brought them back into it with a few well-timed back-to-back buckets late. He finished the game with 24 points, four rebounds, and three assists.

However, the hero title deserves to once again be placed onto Damian Lillard. He hit a go-ahead three-pointer with 5.1 seconds left to go, winning it for Portland.

Lillard finished the game with 21 points, one rebound, and five assists.