Warriors Pause Dame Time with Biggest Comeback Win of Season

The Warriors trailed by as many as 23 points, but rallied to complete their biggest comeback of the season, defeating the Portland Trail Blazers 123-105 at Chase Center on Tuesday.

Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers started off hot, scoring 41 points in the first quarter (15 from Lillard). An 18-4 run helped the Blazers jump out to a 17-point lead which they maintained going into halftime. However, the Blazers scored just 17 points in the third quarter, outscored by the Dubs 39-17. They were held to just 40 total points in the second half, compared to 75 points for the Warriors.

Jordan Poole led all scorers with 29 points, while Draymond Green, is his return, was the leader in rebounds (9) and assists (8). The Warriors had their largest win after trailing by 15 or more since 1964, when they won by 22 after trailing by 15 against the Sixers. The Dubs have won eight of their last nine games at Chase Center and are 32-20 on the season (5th place in the Western Conference).

Golden State Warriors Remarkable Comeback Over Portland Trail Blazers

Team Leaders

GSW

PointsReboundsAssistsPoole – 29D. Green – 9D. Green – 8Thompson – 23Thompson – 8Poole – 6DiVincenzo – 21Looney – 7Jerome – 6

POR

PointsReboundsAssistsLillard – 25Eubanks – 8Lillard – 7Grant – 24Watford – 7Watford – 7Thybulle – 15Grant – 5Eubanks – 4

Welcome Back, DraymondDraymond Green was terrific in his return, showcasing his usual all-around impact. Green led the Dubs in rebounds (9), assists (8), steals (2), blocks (2) and plus-minus (+26). He missed just one shot (4-5) in his 32 minutes of action. Green was sidelined the last two games due to a knee injury and left the game early to attend to a wrist injury, but returned in the second quarter.

“I mean, it’s great to be back out there” Draymond Green said when reflecting on his return to the lineup. “I always want to be out there fighting with the guys and to come out with that win tonight was huge. Third quarter I think we really locked in on the defensive side of the ball. That team scored 41 points in the first quarter, and we said at halftime like alright we’ve got the defense under control. Now, they scored 24 points in the second quarter, but let’s come out and let’s tie both ends together. Let’s use our defense to fuel our offense. We got the matchups we wanted to get on the offensive end, and we were patient. When we get stops and not play against a set defense every time, totally different team.”

Poole Bounces BackAfter struggling against the Timberwolves last game, Jordan Poole bounced back in a big way with a game-high 29 points. Poole also grabbed five rebounds and dished out six assists. He was a plus-25 in 32 minutes of action. Poole had several momentum-shifting baskets, including a 3-pointer that extended a Warriors’ third-quarter run to 16-2. 

“Tough league. It’s the most competitive league in the world and we have a lot of great teams, and the West is really tough” Jordan Poole said when asked about the Dubs moving up to fifth in the standings. “Just finding ways to continue to win games. I think it’s going to come down to the wire with a lot of teams so just finding ways to separate ourselves and get some key wins so that we can put ourselves in a good position.”

Box-And-1 Pauses Dame TimeAfter he scored 19 points in the first half, the Dubs tightened up their defense on Damian Lillard, limiting him to just six points on 3-for-9 shooting in the second half. The Warriors came out in a box-and-1 defense in the third quarter, which keys in on the primary offensive weapon on the opposing team and dares someone else to beat them. Although Matisse Thybulle knocked down five of six 3-pointers, every other Blazer shot below 30 percent from behind the arc, including Jerami Grant (1-8), Cam Reddish (2-7), Nassir Little. (1-4), Shaedon Sharpe (1-4) and even Lillard (2-7). Kevin Knox and Keon Johnson also missed their only 3-point attempts as a Blazers team that knocked down eight first-half triples, hit just three in the second half. 

“I mean they just turned up the pressure” Damian Lillard said referring to the Warriors’ second half defense. “They just started to get more aggressive defensively they went into that box-and-one, they stayed in the box-and-one, they pretty much stayed in the box-and-one whole second half and they got more physical. They started playing more aggressive offensively, they picked up the pace and when the shots we made in the first half stopped falling, you know they were just pushing it and you know the way they play is harder to guard when they are getting stops and they are getting it off the rim and not taking it out and you know we just had trouble with that.”

Points in the PaintThe Warriors dominated the Blazers inside, scoring 66 points in the paint and outscoring the Blazers (40) by 26 in the restricted area. The Warriors also out-rebounded the Blazers 46-33, including 12-9 on the offensive glass. 

Five More Triples for DiVincenzoDonte DiVincenzo recorded his eighth game this season with five or more 3-pointers. DiVincenzo scored 21 points on 72.7 percent shooting. His five 3-pointers were a game-high, and he did it only seven attempts (71.4%). 

“That was a big team win. That was a big team effort defensively Donte DiVincenzo said when reflecting on the magnitude of tonight’s win and defensive effort. “I think in the second half we were more disciplined in what we wanted to do. In the first half, also you have to give them credit, they made a lot of shots. I think that we weathered the storm, we stayed together, we were more disciplined in the second half in what we were throwing at Damian (Lillard) and ultimately when we are together like that you see the runs that we make. The crowd gets into it and once that happens, anything can happen.”

Donte DiVincenzo from Deep

JK Was Electric After three straight starts, Jonathan Kuminga returned to the second unit and thrived. He had several vicious dunks, including a jam on three Blazers one step in from the free throw line. Kuminga scored 16 points on 8-for-10 shooting in 25 minutes. 

“He’s starting to come into his own” Jordan Poole said on Jonathan Kuminga’s development this season. “Obviously, we know how talented he is. He’s in a very unique situation being around so many older guys. Being in the organization that he’s in, it’s tough to get minutes sometimes, so just seeing him grow through his play on the court in the game and off the court as well. You can tell that he’s really starting to catch our cadence, catch our rhythm and figuring out when he can attack, and really showcasing his talents throughout the course of the game. I know he’s just being patient and he’s been doing a fantastic job, and we’re going to need him to keep playing this way if we want to make a run.”

Poster Dunk by Jonathan Kuminga