Warriors at Blazers
Less than 24 hours after completing one of their most impressive performances at home, the Golden State Warriors hit the road Sunday to try to finish off a four-game season series sweep of the Portland Trail Blazers. The Warriors have won the first three meetings — and five straight overall — by an average of 25.3 points and were able to rest their starters down the stretch in a 144-98 rout of the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday.
Stephen Curry showed no ill effects of a quad injury by piling up 43 points in just three quarters of action. The 144-point total is the second-highest of the season for Golden State, which scored 41 in the second quarter and 45 in the third, a team season high for any period. The Trail Blazers have won the first two games of a five-game homestand and three in a row overall after a 112-109 win over Memphis on Friday. Damian Lillard scored 33 points and was big down the stretch as Portland secured its first three-game winning streak since Nov. 30-Dec. 5.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, NBA TV, CSN Bay Area (Golden State), KGW (Portland)
ABOUT THE WARRIORS (40-7): Curry highlighted his big night with a half-court heave to end the first half, a third quarter in which he outscored the Clippers on his own 25-23 and a team-high nine rebounds in a 28-minute night. Kevin Durant chipped in 23 points and also was able to sit down after just 28 minutes, no small development for a team that was beginning a stretch of four games in six days, including a pair of home-road back-to-backs. The Warriors shot 62 percent and have outshot their opponent in 21 straight games, the longest such run since Miami also did it 21 times in a row in 2004-05.
ABOUT THE TRAIL BLAZERS (21-27): Lillard has scored at least 20 points in 10 of 11 games since sitting out a loss at Golden State with an ankle injury on Jan. 4, but he has shot under 50 percent in 10 consecutive contests. Allen Crabbe buried a career-high six 3-pointers in eight attempts en route to 23 points versus Memphis. The former Cal product is averaging 17.5 points on 66.7 percent in the last two games while fellow swingman Maurice Harkless has been sidelined with a calf issue.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Curry is 25-for-49 from 3-point distance over his last four games.
2. After scoring at least 20 points in 10 straight games, Blazers G C.J. McCollum has been held under 20 in four of his last six contests.
3. Golden State entered Saturday leading the NBA in 3-point percentage defense (31.2), while Portland was 28th (38.1).