Portland Trail Blazers vs Golden State Warriors Prediction & Match Preview - November 26th, 2021 | NBA Season 2021-22
The Portland Trail Blazers will continue their three-game road trip in the 2021-22 NBA on Friday when they visit the Golden State Warriors at the Chase Center. The Blazers have struggled on the road this season, coming off a loss to the Sacramento Kings. Meanwhile, the Warriors have improved to 16-2 on the season after defeating the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Blazers were once again defeated away from home, this time against the Kings. Portland are one of the best home teams in the league, but they have been quite poor on the road. Their 125-121 loss to the Kings on Wednesday means they are now 1-8 away from home heading into their game against Golden State.
Meanwhile, the Warriors are on a roll, and have the best record in the NBA this season. They are now 16-2 to start the season, for the fourth time since the 2014-15 season. Golden State made quick work of the visiting Sixers, registering a 116-96 win.
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Match Details
Fixture: Portland Trail Blazers vs Golden State Warriors | NBA Season 2021-22.
Date & Time: Friday, November 26th; 10:00 PM ET (Saturday, November 27th; 8:30 AM IST).
Venue: Chase Center, San Francisco, CA.
Portland Trail Blazers Preview
The Portland Trail Blazers own the best home record in the NBA this season, after the Golden State Warriors. But no matter how good they are at home, their form away from home has been abysmal.
Their loss at the Sacramento Kings was their eighth in nine games this season. The game was close until the fourth quarter, and Portland had a chance to win after De'Aaron Fox's ejection. However, the Blazers failed to capitalize on the opportunity as Sacramento earned a 125-121 win on the night.
Damian Lillard led the Blazers with 32 points, six rebounds and ten assists, while Jusuf Nurkic added 28 points, 17 rebounds and five assists. CJ McCollum went cold for the Blazers, as he registered only 13 points.
Key Player - Damian Lillard
Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers is slowly finding his touch after a tough start to the season. Lillard has scored 25 points or more in the last three games. That makes him a key player against the Golden State Warriors.
Lillard exploded for 32 points, six rebounds and ten assists in the loss to the Sacramento Kings. After the game, he mentioned that the team failed to get stops in the final quarter. If the Portland Trail Blazers want to beat the Warriors, Lillard will have to match Stephen Curry point-by-point or even more.
"We just couldn’t come up with stops. When you’re not able to score like we usually are, you control what you can control, which is getting stops. Tonight the effort was there. We were just one or two plays short," Lillard said.
We're thankful we have a day off tomorrow.
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Portland Trail Blazers Predicted Lineup
G - Damian Lillard; G - CJ McCollum; F - Norman Powell; F - Robert Covington; C - Jusuf Nurkic.
Golden State Warriors Preview
The Golden State Warriors won their fifth game in a row, and 16th overall this season, on Wednesday. The Philadelphia 76ers came into the game with a handful of injuries, as three of their regular starters were out. Golden State capitalized on that, pulling away in the fourth quarter to get a 116-96 win on the night.
It was a complete team effort from the Warriors, as six of their players scored in double digits. Moreover, all players who featured in the game, got onto the scoresheet. Unlike in the past two seasons, the Warriors have depth, and arguably have the best second unit in the league.
In the win over the Sixers, Stephen Curry led the way with 25 points. Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole added 19 and 17, respectively, while Juan Toscano-Anderson and Otto Porter Jr. combined for 25 points off the bench.
Key Player - Stephen Curry
Stephen Curry has been the most important player for the Golden State Warriors for the past decade. Curry has helped the Warriors win three championships and make five NBA Finals appearances.
One of the keys to victory for the Warriors against the Portland Trail Blazers would be to give Curry the ball. He owns the Blazers, as he averages 28 points in 33 games against them. That is Curry's highest points average among all 29 teams in the NBA.
Another crazy stat for Curry is that he scored his career-high 62 points against the Blazers last season. Even if Curry does not explode like that against Portland on Friday, the Warriors have a deep enough roster to overwhelm the Trail Blazers.
Golden State Warriors Predicted Lineup
G - Stephen Curry; G - Jordan Poole; F - Andrew Wiggins; F - Draymond Green; C - Kevon Looney.
Blazers vs Warriors Prediction
The Portland Trail Blazers vs Golden State Warriors is always an entertaining matchup, be it in the regular season or in the playoffs. The Blazers have been terrible on the road this season, so they might have a tough time against the Warriors.
It's also worth noting that Stephen Curry tends to torch the Blazers. That doesn't augur well for the Blazers' hopes of beating the surging Warriors.
Where to watch Blazers vs Warriors?
The Portland Trail Blazers vs Golden State Warriors game will be streamed live on the NBA League Pass. Local fans can watch the game on ROOT Sports+ in Portland and NBC Sports Bay Area & California in San Francisco.