Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant drives to the basket past Portland Trail Blazers guard Evan Turner during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Portland, Ore., Sunday, Jan. 29, 2017. (AP Photo/Steve Dykes)
Golden State survives Curry’s absence thanks to 33 points from KD and clutch free throw shooting.
By Cole Reece| January 29th
Following his 43 point performance last night Steph Curry was unable to play tonight against Portland. Golden State looked sharp through roughly 2 quarters of play. Kevin Durant led the Warriors out of the gate with 11 1st quarter points. Midway through the 2nd frame, the Dubs built a 21 point lead over the Blazers. However, with about 5 minutes and change Portland stormed back. Cj McCollum and Damian Lillard manufactured a 20-2 run to end the 2nd quarter. Golden State completely lost their ability to score on top of falling asleep on defense. Draymond Green was forced to sit the majority of the 3rd quarter with foul trouble. Steve Kerr turned to Andre Iguodala who gave the Dubs a huge boost in the 3rd quarter. He played tremendous defense on top of hitting clutch three-pointers. The three’s were vital as the Warriors struggled all night from beyond the arc. Kevin Durant continued his dominance as well. Even without the extra space that Curry provides for Durant Kevin found ways to score.
Headed into the final frame the Dubs held an (84-74 lead) over the Trailblazers. Cj McCollum made some incredible shots to keep Portland within striking distance. As the game entered the final 37 seconds, Terry Stotts was forced to foul the Warriors. Unfortunately, Durant was called for an offensive foul on an inbound attempt, and the Blazers had a chance to win it with 5.5 seconds. Evan Turner launched a three-pointer that rang off the rim to KD who held on to secure a win for the Dubs. It was by no means a pretty game for the Warriors as they struggled all night from beyond the arc. Golden State did, however, use the free-throw line to their advantage to make up for Curry’s absence. Durant played the role of savior as he finished with 33 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double. Klay played smart and got himself to the line to rack up 27 points for the Warriors. The Trailblazers deserve a tip of the cap as they played a great game. McCollum led Portland with 28 points followed by Lillard with 19 points. Golden State takes the contest by the final score of 113-111.