The Golden State Warriors capped off a 4-2 preseason on Friday night at the Chase Center, breezing past the Portland Trail Blazers 128-118 in a game that got closer once the rotational players were out of it.
It was the dress rehearsal before the regular season begins on Wednesday, and as a result, the starters played their heaviest minutes of any game thus far, as they prepped for the first meaningful contest of the season. Since it was the final tune-up game, rotations were worth paying attention to, and right away we were offered an interesting nugget: the starting lineup.
Earlier in the week, head coach Steve Kerr had said that he was leaning towards a starting five of Steph Curry, Brandin Podziemski, Yaxel Lendeborg, Gui Santos, and Draymond Green. It seemed likely, then, that Kerr would start those five in the finale, but he instead opted to give Charles Bassey the opening assignment instead of Santos.
It’s unclear if Kerr is leaning towards a new starting five, or simply wanted to see Bassey get some time alongside Green. Either way, both possible lineups got a chance to open a half, as Bassey got banged up in the first half, only played eight minutes as a result, and was replaced by Santos in the opening lineup when the third quarter kicked off.
That wasn’t the only notable thing in the starting lineup: for Warriors fans, it was their first glimpse at the new-look Blazers, who are starting All-Star point guards Damian Lillard and Ja Morant next to each other. It was certainly an interesting look, and one that had mixed results on this night.
Both teams came out of the gates slowly. There was good energy, but the shots weren’t falling. The Dubs were playing good defense, and they were getting solid looks on offense, but couldn’t make a bucket. They missed their first seven shots before Lendeborg dropped in a push shot nearly three minutes into the game for their first points.
Portland eventually overcame their slow start with back-to-back threes by Toumani Camara and Lillard, giving them a 10-2 advantage early and forcing Kerr into a timeout. It took a few minutes for the effects of the timeout to set in, as a burst by Morant pushed Portland’s lead to 15-4.
And then the Warriors took over. Just over five minutes in, Curry scored on a back door cut for his first points of the game, and it was the start of an absurd run by the Dubs. Green was the spark plug for the run, as he was making sensational passes and playing spirited defense, but the star came off the bench in the form of Georges Niang. The veteran, who could sneakily be one of the best offseason acquisitions in the league, scored three points on three consecutive possessions: first on an old-fashioned three-point play, and then on a pair of triples. That, combined with Curry’s shot, gave the Warriors an 11-0 run to tie the game.
Portland called timeout and scored after the break, at which point Niang scored once more, giving him 11 straight points for the Dubs. With the defense tightening up in a big way — Green fittingly being at the center of that — and with Lendeborg playing tremendous minutes on both ends of the court, the Warriors pushed the run to 23-4. When the quarter ended, they led 35-26, and Niang had scored 13 points.
It only took a few possessions of second-quarter action for the Warriors to push the lead to double digits. It was an odd second half, though, as the game devolved into chaos on more than one equation. Yet through it all, the Warriors seemed to hold onto that double-digit lead. It was a little reminiscent of some of their dynastic squads: even when the game got ugly, they were able to keep their opponent at bay.
Led by Lillard, the Blazers made things fairly close in the second half of the second quarter, but the Dubs were able to lock back in on defense, turn that defense to offense, and push the lead back to double digits. The offense did falter int he final minutes, but the defense held strong — Lendeborg was playing such incredible defense — and the led 67-58 at the half.
The vintage Third Quarter Warriors showed up when the halftime break concluded. With Mike Dunleavy Jr. in the broadcaster’s booth talking with Fitz and Buike (dressed in purple blazers to celebrate the Valkyries spot in the WNBA Finals). The Dubs simply dominated in every phase of the game. They put the clamps on Portland’s offense. The moved the ball fervently. They cut relentlessly. They attacked on offense, on defense, and on the glass. And after a mild-mannered first half, Curry started to catch fire. The Warriors quickly pushed the lead to 20 points, and it stayd there for most of the quarter. After Curry stole the show in the early going, Lendeborg started to take over halfway through the frame, as he further cemented his case to be one of the most prominently-featured players on the team. It sure feels like he’s not just going to start, but play heavy minutes and be one of the team’s top players.
Eventually things came back to earth, as the Blazers used a late-quarter surge to start to close the gap. Even so, the Warriors led 105-91 after three.
Curry and Green were still on the court when play resumed, as they got their first taste of fourth-quarter minutes this preseason. Unfortunately, the team had started to slow down, as the offense simply wasn’t able to find much of anything anymore. Two minutes into the fourth, Portland had made it a single-digit game.
And then the Warriors decided it was time to stop fooling around. They ran off quite a run, which was fueled by Green’s defense and passing — in the final tune up, Dray played by far his best game of the preseason. He and Curry wasted no time pushing the lead back to 16 points, and then taking their spot on the bench to watch the game ride out. With the back-of-the-bench and two-way contracts in for both teams, Golden State’s offense was officially placed on life support, as they couldn’t find a way to score. Thankfully the lead was well secured, and they still cruised to a 128-118 win.
Curry led the Dubs with 20 points, though it wasn’t his most efficient night, as he needed 19 shots and three free throws to get there. Lendeborg and Podziemski were right behind with 17 points apiece; Yaxel was particularly efficient, as he shot 6-for-9 from the field, and added four rebounds, five assists, two steals, and one block. But the star was Green, who looked incredibly inspired and in control, and also in phenomenal shape. His defense was truly game-changing, and he finished the game with seven points (on just three shots), eight rebounds, 10 assists, and three steals, while having a game-high plus/minus of +18.
A few other notes from the finale:
- Brandon Williams was the only rotation player who did not play, as he was a late scratch due to back soreness. Kerr said he expects Williams to be ready for the season opener.
- Lendeborg and Al Horford shared the court for plenty of minutes and showed off some tremendous rapport. They worked seamlessly together, and that’s surely a pairing that Kerr will rely on. Horford ended the game with 15 points, all on threes, many assisted by Lendeborg.
- Bassey was limited to eight minutes, but played exceptionally well in those minutes. He was a force on the glass.
- Santos left the game after hurting his knee in the first quarter, but thankfully returned in the second.
- The Warriors did a great job taking care of the ball. They only had 13 turnovers, and a good number of those were on excusable offensive fouls. There were very few careless or sloppy plays with the ball.
- Most importantly: opening day is Wednesday. Bring it on, Dub Nation!
