Golden State Warriors Ride Big Fourth Quarter to Game Two Win
By Kelsey Ross
The Golden State Warriors can thank their 2-0 lead over the Portland Trail Blazers to a spectacular fourth quarter push.
The Golden State Warriors entered the fourth quarter of game two down 11 points to the Portland Trail Blazers. They had been in this position before and rallied in the final minutes to take the victory. But down 11 in the playoffs to a Trail Blazers team that is punching gaping holes in the defense and can’t miss a shot? That’s an entirely different story.
Damian Lillard had 25 points through the first three quarters, including a gut-wrenching buzzer beater at the end of the third quarter to put Portland up 87-76. The Warriors had clawed back inch by inch after trailing by 17 at one point in the first half, only to miss a layup in the final seconds of the third quarter that led to that three point shot by Lillard. That was the frustrating story of the game: every time the Warriors closed the gap, Portland had an answer that blew the game wide open again.
If there was a time for the Blazers to steal a game from the Warriors, this was it. No MVP Stephen Curry on the court and a double digit lead going into the fourth. Klay Thompson was a dismal 5-17 shooting, and Mo Harkless was clearly in his head – even forcing Thompson into committing a technical foul. The Dubs looked lost on defense, and the Trail Blazers created wide open looks more often than not. The stars seemed to be aligning for Portland, and the worry started slowly creeping in for Golden State.
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And then the fourth quarter happened. Finally, that historic 73-win team made an appearance at Oracle Arena for those final dazzling 12 minutes.
Festus Ezeli made an enormous impact coming off the bench. He finished with eight points and six rebounds, but his biggest effort came on the defensive end. Even Draymond Green had to give Ezeli a shout out for the pressure he put on Lillard. How impressive were Ezeli’s efforts? Lillard finished with an astounding zero points in the fourth quarter, after being virtually unstoppable the rest of the game. In fact, the Warriors, and most notably Ezeli, kept him so bottled up that he only attempted three total shots in the fourth.
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That incredible defense was what led to the huge fourth quarter the Warriors had. They held Portland to a mere 12 points in the fourth, and forced five turnovers. The Blazers went 5-19 from the floor and missed all six of their three-point attempts in the final quarter.
Then the Warriors’ offense magically came back, and just in time. Down nine points with nine minutes left in the fourth, the Warriors went on a quick 9-0 run to tie the game. Golden State outscored the Blazers 34-12 in that final quarter.
Thompson scored 20 of his 27 points in the second half, including hitting the clutch three-point shot to tie the game at 91 and the three to give them the lead a little later. Green ended with 17 points, 14 rebounds, and two explosive dunks that sealed the deal for Golden State.
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It was an exciting comeback to watch, and a good win for the Warriors at home. While the Warriors can’t expect to go deep into the playoffs by only showing up for one quarter, this game did prove one thing: you can never count the Warriors out.