The Warriors were hitting on all cylinders in their blowout win over the Trail Blazers.
Nobody beats the Golden State Warriors four times in a row in one season. Thanks to the absence of Deni Avdija and a sound performance in all aspects of the game, the Warriors demolished the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday night, 119-97, to finally pick up a win against the Pacific Northwest team this season.
Steve Kerr Reflects On Major Positives In Blowout Win
In the big win, no player was on the court for more than 26 minutes, and for a team as old as the Warriors, picking up extra rest anywhere possible is a treat.
This was something Steve Kerr recognized in his postgame press conference.
"It's a good night to get everybody on the floor and keep Steph (Curry) at 24 minutes, Draymond (Green) at 22. These are welcome nights when you can get them."
Kerr also kept it short and sweet when asked how the Warriors bounced back from a rough loss to the Hawks on Sunday to win big in this game.
"Shots just went in. Sometimes it's that simple."
Warriors Post One Of The Most Unique Box Scores
A win of this caliber against a capable team would lead many to think that Steph Curry showed up and showed out. He's been fantastic against the Blazers this season, despite the three losses, and has led the Warriors in scoring in his last 11 games played.
However, Curry only scored 7 points and struggled with his shot, going 2-8 from downtown, contributing instead with a season-high 11 assists. It wasn't even Jimmy Butler going nuclear on his own, though, as he posted 16 points on just 7 shot attempts.
Instead, it was De'Anthony Melton coming off the bench to deliver a season-best 23 points on 9-14 shooting from the field with four triples.
Melton, Butler, and Curry ended up being three of the 10 players to score at least 6 points, and it was a much more concentrated team effort that led to 34 assists on 42 made field goals. They bounced back from a poor shooting night that led to their loss to the Hawks on Sunday to shoot 40% from deep on a season-high 57 attempts.
Additionally, the Warriors' defense was stifling, forcing 22 turnovers from the Trail Blazers, playing without one of their primary ball handlers in Avdija. Though the Blazers had 5 players in double figures, none of them went over 20 points, and the team looked simply lost without their star player for the first time all year.
The Warriors will look to take this offensive and defensive drive into the back half of this eight-game homestand as they welcome the New York Knicks on Thursday.