Warriors at Trail Blazers
THE STORY: The Portland Trail Blazers will play six of their next seven games at home, starting Sunday night against the Golden State Warriors. The Blazers fell 103-96 to the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night and will need to get a better performance from its backcourt, which shot just 7 of 25. Golden State pulled out a 111-108 victory over Sacramento on Saturday, just its second win in seven games. Rookie Klay Thompson scored a career-high 31 points and David Lee had 22 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, CS Bay Area (Warriors), CS Portland (Trail Blazers)
ABOUT THE WARRIORS (20-26): Golden State is one game back of Portland in the West, but both teams are running out of time to get back in the playoff hunt. Since Monta Ellis was traded, the Warriors have leaned on Thompson and he is answering. Thompson is averaging 20.1 points in his last eight games. Nate Robinson left Saturday’s game with 1:02 remaining in the first half with a strained hamstring. Charlie Jenkins will start if Robinson cannot play tonight.
ABOUT THE TRAIL BLAZERS (22-26): Portland has won just four games since the All-Star break and is four games out of eighth place in the West. “We believe in all our players,” said interim coach Kaleb Canales, 2-3 since taking over for fired Nate McMillan. “We came out tonight and were staying in the moment, trying to control what we can control. … We just came up a little short.” Guard Elliot Williams (right shoulder) will not play for the Blazers tonight.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. Golden State point guard Stephen Curry has missed seven consecutive games with a sprained right ankle.
2. The Warriors have won two of their last three games in Portland after losing four in a row at the Rose Garden.
3. The only other scoring performance by a rookie better than Thompson’s 31 was the 32-point game by Cleveland’s Kyrie Irving against New Jersey on Jan. 27.