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Warriors' abysmal defense sabotages another heroic Steph Curry performance originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Stephen Curry strolled into Moda Center in Portland on Sunday and fried the Trail Blazers for 48 points, 21 in the fourth quarter – and the Warriors lost the lead and the game.

If this feels like déjà vu, please know that it is. Two nights earlier, at Chase Center, Curry lit up the Timberwolves for 39 points, 14 in the fourth quarter – and the Warriors lost the lead and the game.

If Steph were to allow himself a moment to weep, who would not understand?

Instead, Curry walked off the floor with his head high after this 136-131 loss. He was greeted by downcast teammates looking as if they wanted to hug him but offering only polite daps and soft back pats that seemed to serve as silent apologies.

That would not have been necessary if Curry would have prevented the Blazers from scoring 40 points, on 65-percent shooting, in the fourth quarter. Or if he were able to keep the Timberwolves from piling up 39 points, on 70-percent shooting, in the fourth quarter on Friday.

As hard as Curry tries to pull the Warriors from this expanding sea of mediocrity, their defense keeps dragging them back underwater.

“When you make 24 3s – Steph makes 12 of them – you should win the game,” coach Steve Kerr told reporters in Portland.

“And, obviously, we couldn’t stop (the Blazers). They made 20 3s themselves.”

The Blazers, dead last in the NBA3-point shooting efficiency at 32.8 percent, shot 51.3 percent (20 of 39) against Golden State. At least 13 attempts were open, if not wide open.

 In defiance of their fourth-rated defense, the Warriors once again did a poor job of stopping penetration, of forcing drivers to their weak hand, and Portland took advantage. When the defense collapsed, the driver almost always had kickout to a teammate lounging beyond the arc.

Deni Avdija swept past Jimmy Butler III and Curry on Portland’s first possession and zipped a 20-foot pass to Jeremi Grant open in the right corner. He drained the triple. Grant, who scored 35 points, shot 7-of-13 from deep, and no Warrior was within eight feet on three of the makes.

When Grant made wide-open 3-balls on consecutive fourth-quarter possessions – both off kickouts from a driver in the paint – it sliced the Warriors’ lead from eight to two in 26 seconds, and Kerr hopped off the bench to call timeout.

Two nights after Minnesota dropped a 17-0 fourth-quarter run on the Warriors, the Blazers cooked up a pivotal 12-0 run, with Grant’s two triples at the heart of it.

“We were up 10, and they scored 10 straight,” Kerr said, shorting Portland by two points. “It felt like we weren’t getting back in transition off our misses, and they got downhill.”

These things are correctable. Every team addresses such deficiencies, and few things chafe the skin of a coaching staff more than poor transition defense.

Kerr, for at least the third time this season, pointed the finger of blame at himself. For their 5-9 record in clutch games, which ranks 12th among Western Conference teams. For the consistently haphazard defensive engagement. For not getting the ball into Butler’s hands with greater frequency, particularly when Curry is sitting.

For the ongoing onslaught of turnovers, which continue despite years of plaintive pleas from Kerr and months of subtle pleas from Butler.

“We gave up 24 points off turnovers, so we’ve got to find a way to connect the game,” Kerr said. “That’s my job. I’m not doing my job well this year. We’re 13-14. We have enough talent to be much better. We’re losing all these close games. I’ve got to find a way to help these guys.”

It’s typical of Kerr to accept blame, and some of it is warranted. He is more tolerant of some young players than others. His rotation patterns and five-man lineups sometimes are baffling. 

But, as Butler indicated last month, the coaches and scouts generally put the players in position to be successful. The game plans are solid, but once the ball is tossed up, the execution too often falls flat.

And this is supposed to be the season dedicated to maximizing Curry’s existence. He’s 37. The sun should be setting on a glorious career, but he seems committed to keeping the big ball of heat suspended above.

For the Warriors to have any chance of saving this season and contending – a comical notion for a team that is 0-3 against Portland – Curry must have help. He wants it and, at this stage, doesn’t care who provides it.

Curry scored 48 points on 16-of-26 shooting from the field, including 12-of-19 from distance. He wore out Portland defense, as the Warriors were giving life to Portland’s offense. He’s pulling and pulling, but the dragging continues.

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What we learned as Warriors waste another Steph Curry flurry in loss to Blazers originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

• BOX SCORE

Steph Curry scored 48 points and made 12 3-pointers against the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday night at the Moda Center, yet the Warriors found themselves on the wrong side of an incredibly disappointing 136-131 loss. 

The Warriors now are 0-3 against the Blazers this season and fell below .500 (13-14) with the loss. 

An abundance of heroics ended in frustration for Curry. He missed a layup with 29.6 seconds left that would have put the Warriors ahead by one point and then turned the ball over while double teamed on their next possession. Curry has combined to score 87 points with 18 threes in the Warriors’ last two games. 

And the Warriors have lost both of them.

Jimmy Butler was the Warriors’ second-leading scorer with 16 points. Every starter scored in double figures and Brandin Podziemski dropped 12 off the bench, but the Warriors for the second straight game couldn’t find a second 20-point scorer on a night where the Blazers had three of them. 

Draymond Green, playing his first game in 10 days, had 14 points with a team-high eight rebounds and seven assists, but also turned the ball over eight times and was a team-worst minus-12.

Poor defense and too many turnovers again crushed the Warriors. The Blazers shot 50.6 percent from the field and made 20 threes at a 51.3-percent clip. They also scored 24 second-chance points off 10 offensive rebounds, as well as another 24 off 18 Warriors turnovers. 

Here are three takeaways from the Warriors’ second straight loss.

Dray’s Day

The combination of a right foot sprain and excused personal reasons held Green out for each of the Warriors’ last three games. His impact on the Warriors’ offense was felt immediately Sunday night in Portland. Whether it was assisting or making one himself, Green had his hand in each of the Warriors’ first four made shots, which all were 3-pointers. 

But Green, knocking some rust off, also was responsible for the Warriors’ first three turnovers from a handful of errant passes and had two quick fouls in the first quarter.

As the Blazers put little attention on Green’s offense, he kept making them pay in the first half. Green was the Warriors’ second-leading scorer at halftime with 14 points, just one behind Curry, on 5-of-6 shooting with two threes, six rebounds and four assists. He also didn’t commit any turnovers and wasn’t whistled for any fouls in the second quarter.

A little under halfway through the third quarter, Green picked up a technical foul for loudly disagreeing with the referees while Curry was in the middle of his flurry. Green was scoreless in the third quarter while losing the ball and his composure far too much with four turnovers in just under seven minutes.

He again failed to score in the fourth quarter and was whistled for three fouls. Green in the second half was a minus-7 in 16 and a half minutes. The bad, unfortunately for him and the Warriors, outweighed the good.

Batman and Robin Antidote Not Enough

Coming into Sunday night, the Blazers were the worst 3-point shooting team in the league, shooting a lowly 32.1 percent. Their 13.8 threes per game ranked 13th in the NBA, but in terms of accuracy, no team has been worse than the Blazers. So of course they couldn’t miss against the Warriors. 

But the dynamic duo of Curry and Butler had the perfect answers to counter the Blazers’ blows in their own unique ways. For Curry, the answers were at the 3-point line. For Butler, the answers were at the free-throw line.

Curry’s 15 points in the first half were a warmup for him. The curtains opened and the show really began once the Warriors returned from halftime. Fans of both teams ooh’d and ahh’d every time Curry threw up a three and didn’t even need to watch the ball trickle through the net with four threes in the third quarter. He then scored 10 points within the first three and half minutes of the fourth quarter and dropped an absurd 21 in a little under 11 minutes. 

He passed Michael Jordan for the most career 40-point games for a player after turning 30 years old.

Shooting wasn’t as easy for Butler. In the first half he took five shots and missed each one. But the crafty veteran knows how to get the free-throw line and was a perfect 8 of 8 at the charity stripe in the first half. 

Butler wound up going 10 of 11 on free throws in a game where he made only three of his 11 shot attempts. His body control is second to none. Butler now has attempted 10 or more free throws in eight games this season, joining five others to reach the mark that many times in the NBA in 2025-26.

Will Kerr Find Consistent Starting Five? 

Finally, the Warriors are the healthiest they have been this season. Perhaps that can give them a consistent starting lineup. Steve Kerr on the Warriors’ 27th game of the season used his 15th different starting five, including the ninth unique one in as many games. 

What we do know is Curry, Butler and Green are guaranteed to take up three of the five spots. What we don’t know is who will earn the other two. Moses Moody and Quinten Post did so in Portland. It was Moody’s 14th start of the season, and Post’s 13th. 

Having a 7-footer next to Green that can stretch the floor makes the most sense. That leaves Post as the only option to check those boxes while 39-year-old Al Horford continues to struggle with both his health and play. Miscommunication between Green and Post led to two bad turnovers on back-to-back possessions in the third quarter. 

Post was the lone Warriors starter to have a positive plus/minus and scored 11 points in a game where he was 3 of 6 behind the 3-point line.

For Moody to remain in the starting five, he has to make threes – especially when they’re wide open. He had four of them in the first half and missed all four without really being contested. Moody ended up scoring 12 points and was 2 of 4 on threes in the second half.

The starting five played nine minutes together and were outscored 29-28. To answer a frequently asked question, De’Anthony Melton will not start for the time being. Melton’s minutes are capped around 20 per game right now, and the Warriors want him to be able to close games, hence why he’s not starting.

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Observations after Sixers lose to Hawks despite George's 35-point performance  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Sixers couldn’t turn Paul George’s biggest scoring night of the season into a victory in Atlanta.

Despite George’s 35 points, the Sixers fell to a 120-117 loss to the Hawks on Sunday at State Farm Arena. 

Joel Embiid posted his first double-double of the season with 22 points and 14 rebounds. VJ Edgecombe had 26 points and six boards.

The 15-12 Hawks got 27 points and 10 rebounds from Dyson Daniels. Onyeka Okongwu recorded 20 points and 15 rebounds. Jalen Johnson had a triple-double with 12 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds.

The 14-11 Sixers were without Tyrese Maxey (illness), Kelly Oubre Jr. (left knee LCL sprain) and Trendon Watford (left adductor strain).

Atlanta’s absences included Trae Young (right knee MCL sprain) and Kristaps Porzingis (illness). 

The Sixers will next play on Friday night when they visit the Knicks. Here are observations on their loss to the Hawks:

Unorthodox off the bench 

The Sixers were forced to make an early sub after Edgecombe committed two fouls as the last man back on defense following live-ball Sixers turnovers. 

Jared McCain checked in with 7:28 left in the first quarter. Soon after entering, he fouled Vit Krejci on a three-point attempt. Krejci burned the Sixers in the first period, scoring 11 points on 3-for-3 shooting. The Sixers fell behind 35-26 on a Krejci three.

On the Sixers’ side, the team posted zero bench points in the first.

Sixers head coach Nick Nurse shifted to a very veteran guard option about four minutes into the second quarter. Kyle Lowry replaced McCain, appearing for his fourth game of the year. Nurse used perhaps his most unconventional lineup yet this season for a couple of minutes in the second quarter, playing an Embiid-Andre Drummond frontcourt with Lowry on the back line of the Sixers’ zone defense. 

Nurse returned to McCain in the second half and Lowry stayed on the bench. McCain continued to come up empty as a shooter. He finished with no points on 0-for-5 shooting, five assists, three rebounds and two steals in 18 minutes. Justin Edwards also had an 0-for-5 night.

George still trending up 

George was happy to take charge with Embiid on the bench at the start of the second quarter.

He drained consecutive three-pointers, converted an and-one leaner, and ran the offense in smooth, confident fashion.

The 35-year-old forward has talked often about the value of stringing games together and gaining rhythm. He’s certainly trending up as a scorer. After posting a season-best 23 points Friday in a win over the Pacers, he stormed past that number in Atlanta and scored his most points as a Sixer.

Led by George, the Sixers made a second-quarter run and went up on 42-41 on an Edgecombe driving layup. 

Hawks hold on

The Hawks double teamed Embiid after just about every one of his catches inside the arc.

He frequently tried to attack from the middle of the floor before Atlanta could bring help defense. The idea was sound, but Embiid’s execution was uneven. He fell to 4 for 15 from the floor early in the third quarter when he missed a contested lefty attempt inside. 

On a positive note, Embiid had his best rebounding game of the season, exceeding his prior high of nine boards Friday vs. Indiana. He had good instincts and activity on the offensive glass.

Edgecombe carried the Sixers’ offense in the third quarter.

The 20-year-old hit his second straight 20-point performance with an and-one layup that cut Atlanta’s lead to 89-86. He took available jumpers without hesitation, drove hard and piled up 17 points in the third period.

Zaccharie Risacher’s three early in the fourth quarter extended the Hawks’ advantage to 106-96. George then scored five points in a row, including a long-range jumper from the left wing. He sunk a season-high seven three-pointers and only missed three. George even banked one in and swished a tightly guarded fourth-quarter jumper just before the shot clock expired.

Through 10 games, he’s at 43.3 percent beyond the arc on the season, which is 7.5 percent better than last year.

The game remained tight down the stretch. With an Edgecombe layup and a Quentin Grimes three, the Sixers pulled within one point.

They had a late chance to grab the lead. George missed a corner three over Krejci, but Edgecombe leapt high for the offensive rebound. Nurse elected not to use a timeout and Grimes eventually tried a three from the right wing. It bounced off the back rim.

Grimes wound up getting one more clutch three-point shot, but his game-tying corner attempt at the final buzzer didn’t drop.