Golden State Warriors Falter in Fourth, Lose to Portland Trail Blazers 113-101
By Tej Kamaraju
November 23, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Portland Trail Blazers shooting guard Wesley Matthews (2) dribbles against Golden State Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson (11) during the first quarter at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Everything was going smoothly, until the fight happened. With 3:42 left in the third quarter, the Golden State Warriors got into a fight with the Portland Trail Blazers. Draymond Green was ejected, Wesley Matthews–who was having a fantastic night–was ejected and Mo Williams, who was the Blazers’ bench life, was also having a great night.
The Warriors led most of the game, but after this fight, the Blazers finished the quarter on a 10-1 run, which translated to 17-5. The Warriors’ offense went flat and they weren’t able to do much after that. Unfortunately, LaMarcus Aldridge and the Blazers were too much. Aldridge, in fact, was 7-for-21 from the field, but 16-for-19 from the free throw line.
Klay Thompson finished with 30 points in 27 minutes, 10-for-13 from the field and 8-for-8 from the free throw line. What a wasted performance, because he fouled out of the game. The Warriors played well, but ultimately, the lack of depth (due to injury) caught up with them and they fell to the Blazers by a score of 113-101.
In the first quarter, the game was at a back-and-forth pace, but the Warriors were able to come on top, leading by one. The Blazers, like they did every quarter, finished in the final minutes strong. The second quarter was more of the same, except the Warriors had a double digit lead until the Blazers finished strong once again, making it a five-point game.
All was going well in the third quarter for the Dubs, with Stephen Curry coming back to life and Thompson scoring 12 points, then the fight happened. From that moment on, the Blazers just seemed to be more energized and they wanted the game more than the Warriors did. Without Jermaine O’Neal in the rotation, the Warriors are having trouble defending the paint. With Andrew Bogut, foul trouble becomes an issue.
In a game that the Warriors were shorthanded, the turned the ball over countless times, committed countless fouls, and gave up many second chance points. In every other aspect of the game, they outplayed Portland, but couldn’t get the win. The Dubs committed 29 personal fouls to go with 20 turnovers in a game that just got way out of hand. It should have been one that the Warriors could win, but instead, the harsh reality catches up to them and they lose their third straight game.
They’re now headed on a four-game road-trip, where they will see the New Orleans Pelicans, the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Dallas Mavericks (hello, Monta), and the Sacramento Kings.