3 takeaway’s as Portland Trail Blazers beat the Golden State Warriors

In an exciting game played at the Moda Center between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors, the Blazers prevailed 108 – 106 on a huge Damian Lillard three with just 14 seconds on the clock.

Here are 3 takeaways from the Portland Trail Blazers win over the Golden State Warriors

Carmelo Anthony is on a hot streak

Carmelo Anthony started the season struggling. He had some of the worst numbers of his career to begin the year, but he has got better as the season has worn on. He had a season-high 29 points in the great win over the Charlotte Hornets, and then added another 22 points tonight on an excellent 8 of 13 shooting. His jumper was going from inside and out, and he has been a key piece in both of the recent wins.

Though his defense and rebounding aren’t where they were in the past, he has really come on in the past as a scorer in the last month.

He is shooting 40 percent from three since then, on over 16 points a game. Melo deserved criticism earlier in the year, but he has really stepped up since the start of February.

Stephen Curry is the only deep shooter in the league who can match Damian Lillard

There are many great shooters in the NBA, but there are very few on the planet at Damian Lillard and Stephen Curry’s level. Curry had a better game than Lillard, but both still hit big shots down the stretch of this exciting game. Curry and Lillard are the best deep shooters in the game.

They are the only guys who can hit shots consistently and efficiently from 30 plus feet.  We saw both guys hit big threes down the stretch from deep in tonight’s game to keep each of their respective teams in it. Curry and Dame are 1A and 1B as far as deep shooters go.

Damian Lillard is clutch

There are very few players who can play poorly through three quarters, then drop 10 points in the fourth, including the game-winner, to take the win for their team. Lillard has been the best player in the clutch over the last two seasons, and tonight’s game-winner was just more evidence as to why Dame is the best player in the clutch in the entire league.

His stats are explained below in the clutch by the excellent ” StatMuse. ”

With just 15 seconds on the clock, and the Blazers down by one, Dame had the ball with excellent defender Kent Bazemore on him. He was on the left side of the floor, which isn’t his favored side, but it didn’t matter as he stepped back and put in a pure three to put the Blazers up by one.

In the next play on the opposite end, he sacrificed his body to take a charge from Draymond Green. Game over.