Golden State Warriors vs Portland Trail Blazers: 3 key matchups - March 3rd, 2021 | NBA Season 2020-21
In what is expected to be another mouth-watering matchup in the 2020-21 NBA, the Portland Trail Blazers will play the Golden State Warriors at the Moda Center in Oregon on Wednesday.
In the last matchup between the two teams, Stephen Curry dropped a career-high 62 points, the highest scoring total since Devin Booker's 70-point outing in 2017.
Games between the Golden State Warriors and the Portland Trail Blazers have always been exciting ones. The Portland Trail Blazers won their first matchup of the season, doing so by a whopping 25 points. However, the Golden State Warriors responded in the next game with a 15-point victory.
The two teams have usually been evenly matched, so their third clash of the season could be another exciting affair.
This game will also witness two of the best point guards and sharpshooting marksmen, Stephen Curry and Damian Lillard, go head-to-head. Much like this matchup, there are a few other player duels to look forward to as well. So let's take a look at three of them.
#3 Enes Kanter (Portland Trail Blazers) vs Kevon Looney (Golden State Warriors)
The battle of the big men is usually key in most games. Both the Golden State Warriors and the Portland Trail Blazers have been poor in rebounding this season, ranking in the top seven in rebounds allowed.
Kevon Looney and Enes Kanter have gone head-to-head several times in the post, and their dominance in the paint could be key to the outcome of this game.
Enes Kanter is infamous for his poor defense, so opponents often exploit his lack of defensive awareness. Looney and James Wiseman could find it easy to bully other players in the low post. Wiseman often gets more minutes than Looney, so he could be quite crucial to this matchup as well.
#2 Robert Covington (Portland Trail Blazers) vs Draymond Green (Golden State Warriors)
The two power forwards will be guarding each other for the majority of the game.
Draymond Green has been tearing defenses apart with his nifty passing and superior playmaking this season. He has had several games with 15+ assists this month alone and recently put up a career-high 19 assists.
Meanwhile, Robert Covington is a solid defender, and his energy could mainly be utilized in hampering Green's efficiency of play.
At the other end of the court, Covington is known for his three-point shooting as well. Green's superior defense could, however, stop Covington from getting quality looks and contesting too many shots.
#1 Damian Lillard (Portland Trail Blazers) vs Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors)
Two superstar point guards, Damian Lillard and Stephen Curry will likely duel in the most key battle of this game.
Both the players are missing their usual backcourt partners, as the Portland Trail Blazers' CJ McCollum and the Golden State Warriors' Klay Thompson are sidelined for an extended period.
Meanwhile, both players are heavily compared with each other, with Damian Lillard often called 'Curry-esque'.
Curry and Lillard are both not known for their defense and are mainly offensive maestros.
Both the guards are in the MVP conversation this season and are averaging nearly identical numbers at 30 points per game. Undoubtedly, this matchup is the most critical one, and whoever comes out on top could lead their team to victory.
Also Read: Golden State Warriors vs Portland Trail Blazers Prediction & Match Preview - March 3rd, 2021 | NBA Season 2020-21.