What we learned as Steph Curry, Warriors stall late in NBA Cup loss to Blazers originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO – Home is where the heart is. Pulses raced inside Chase Center on Friday night, racing up and down whichever way the game went.
Advertisement
Warriors fans, for the first time this season, exited the building with broken hearts from a 127-123 loss against the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Warriors led 97-94 through three quarters, and then were outscored 33-26 by the Blazers in the fourth.
Weaknesses were exposed for the Warriors, particularly in their lack of size and point of attack defense. They were beaten in rebounding 52-32, which included 21 offensive rebounds for the Blazers and a lowly nine for the Warriors. That kind of ownage led to 28 second-chance points by the Blazers, a whopping 18 more than the Warriors.
Steph Curry led the Warriors with 38 points and nine 3-pointers, giving him his most points in a loss this season. The Warriors now are 3-3 when he scores 30 or more points.
Advertisement
Jimmy Butler did a bit of everything with 20 points, eight rebounds and five assists, and Brandin Podziemski scored 20 points off the bench for the Warriors.
Another first for the Warriors (9-9) was winning the turnover battle but losing the game. They never could pull away quite enough, and the Blazers (7-9) kept coming.
Here are three takeaways from the Warriors’ first home loss of the season, extending their losing streak to three.
Steph’s Sizzle Wasted
Drool began forming at the corner of Curry’s mouth whenever Blazers big man Donovan Clingan guarded him at the 3-point line. Clingan is essentially a foot taller than Curry at 7-foot-2. He sure isn’t as fleet of foot as him, though.
Advertisement
Somehow, Portland’s defense kept letting that matchup happen in the second quarter. Curry kept taking advantage of that decision, too. After a five-point first quarter, Curry made five 3-pointers in the second quarter while playing just six minutes.
Back home and getting to enjoy a day off, Curry exploded for 18 points in the second quarter on a perfect 6 of 6 from the field, including making all five of his tries from deep.
Curry came back down to earth in the third quarter, scoring four points. He then scored nine big-time points in the fourth quarter. Each one felt bigger, and it still couldn’t equal a win.
Advertisement
BP Brings Scoring Punch
For the second time this season, Podziemski reached 20 points Wednesday night in the Warriors’ short-handed loss against the Miami Heat. He also needed 19 shot attempts to get there, making only six shots. Podziemski was much more efficient and in control against the Blazers.
With Curry up to 23 points at halftime, Podziemski was right there alongside him. Jimmy Butler wasn’t the Warriors’ second scoring option. Podziemski was, scoring 15 first-half points on just five shot attempts.
Podziemski hit the 20-point mark with a minute and a half left in the third quarter. He had taken just seven shots at the time.
Whether it was shooting threes in the flow of the offense or forcing his way to the free-throw line, Podziemski was much more decisive Friday. That’s everything for him. His 10 free-throw attempts were a season high, as were Podziemski’s eight made free throws.
Advertisement
Make The Whistle Your Friend
Defending without fouling always will be key to the Warriors’ two-way success. Within the first seven minutes of the game, however, the Warriors already had been called for seven fouls. The Blazers in the first quarter were whistled for four fewer fouls than the Warriors and took five more free throws than them.
Lesson learned.
Instead of watching the Blazers walk to the charity stripe, the Warriors were the ones enjoying their time there in the second quarter. A total of five Warriors shot free throws in the second quarter, going 11 of 14 as a team. They got the Blazers in the bonus early, giving the Warriors a halftime advantage of two more attempts than them and three more makes.
Advertisement
It was a back-and-forth battle of fouls and free throws for the two teams. The Warriors were at 18 fouls and 24 free throw attempts through three quarters, and the Blazers, going into the fourt,h had been called for 21 fouls and taken 22 free throws.
Both teams were called for 25 fouls. The Blazers, though, took two more free throws than the Warriors and made one more than them. The Warriors dropped to 3-7 when their opponent makes more free throws.
