NBA 2018-19 Hits and Flops: Golden State Warriors vs Portland Trail Blazers
The Golden State Warriors traveled to the Moda Center in Portland to take on the Portland Trail Blazers in an exciting matchup. The Trail Blazers were the ones that came out on top with a huge win, 129-107.
In a game which saw a rare ejection for the Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, The Blazers snapped Golden State's five-game winning streak, rebounding after their own 2-game losing streak. Despite the loss, which ended an 11-game winning streak on the road, the Golden State still go into the break with the best record in the Western Conference.
In the 4th quarter, the game went away from the Warriors, they only scored 12 points to the Blazers' 35. The Warriors were missing DeMarcus Cousins, Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston because of rest and missed them sorely. It was the last game before the All-Star break for both teams, with the Warriors ending top with a 41-16 record while the Blazers stay 4th with a 34-23 record.
Let us now look at 3 of the hits and the flops from the game that happened:
HIT: Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors)
Curry was himself against the Blazers last night, scoring a massive 32 points in just 33 minutes, trying to lead the Warriors onto another win but it was not meant to be. He was a little inconsistent with his shot, shooting under 43% for the night, he was unable to get himself going from deep, making just 5 shots in 14 attempts. He still tied for the highest scorer for the Warriors and had 7 rebounds as well as 2 assists. With Klay going missing tonight, it was upto him and Durant but it did not go well.
MISS: CJ McCollum (Portland Trail Blazers)
McCollum has been a solid partner to Damian Lillard all season long, averaging 21 points per game, along with 4 rebounds and 2.8 assists a game as well. But of late, he has been underperforming and it had been looking bad for the Blazers. Even in the game against the Warriors, CJ only managed to muster 15 points, playing a lowly 26 minutes. He shot 38.5% from the field and did not offer much in supporting stats, getting just 2 assists and 3 rebounds. Playing alongside Dame has limited his upside and with him unable to find his shot of late, he has been a shadow of himself.