Golden State played without Andre Iguodala, who was out due to a hamstring injury. However, their superstar point guard Stephen Curry was back in the lineup. Curry returned to action sitting out of the last two games due to a mild concussion. He scored 22 points and dished out 11 assists, but couldn’t lift his team over the surging Blazers. Curry wasn’t as accurate from the floor as he usually is. He went 8-of-21 from the floor, but he also turned the ball over a couple of times in the final quarter.
Klay Thompson led the Warriors in scoring. He had 30 points shooting 10-of-13 from the floor, including two threes. With a little more than five minutes left in the game, he picked up his sixth foul on his effort to play with his back against Damian Lillard and headed to the locker rooms. David Lee added 15 points and 12 boards for Golden State, shooting 7-for-12 from the floor. Harrison Barnes replaced Iguodala in the starting lineup and finished with 13 points, four rebounds, and five assists.
In the third quarter, Joel Freeland and Andrew Bogut got tangled up as they were trying to take a position for an offensive rebound. Moments later a bunch of players from both teams entered the fight, with Mo Williams being one of the main protagonists. A few pushes and shoves later, things cooled off, and the referees started video-reviewing the incident. Six players received technical fouls called, and three were ejected from the game. LaMarcus Aldridge, Joel Freeland, and Andrew Bogut got T-ed. Mo Williams, Wesley Matthews and Draymond Green were sent to the locker rooms. Matthews had received a technical foul moments earlier.
The intensity of the game was increased after the incident, with the Blazers taking advantage of the situation. They outscored the Warriors 32 to 17 in the last quarter to seal the victory.
LaMarcus Aldridge led his team with 30 points and also 21 rebounds, six of which were offensive. Aldridge shot 7-of-21 from the floor, and he also found the target on 16 free-throws in 19 attempts. Matthews chipped in 23 points on an impressive 8-for-9 shooting from the floor before exiting the game. He also sank five three-pointers in six tries. Damian Lillard contributed with 20 points and also nine dimes. Nicolas Batum was also solid for Portland, scoring 14 points, dishing out four assists and grabbing three boards.
The Portland Trail Blazers play their next game at home against the New York Knicks, Wednesday night. The Golden State Warriors play their next game on the road on Tuesday, at New Orleans versus the Pelicans.
