Tonight the Golden State Warriors will have their hands full with a rejuvenated Damian Lillard and Portland Trail Blazers heading into the Chase Center.
Both teams are 2-2 and with the Western Conference emerged with new contenders, both teams will look to make a statement.
In the previous years, the Warriors obliterated the Blazers sweeping them in the 2019 Western Conference Finals and winning three NBA championships out of their five appearances from 2015-2019.
Tonight’s math is the anticipated Damian Lillard vs Stephen Curry battle where deep three-pointers are expected. The Warriors are a team by many counted out to miss the 2020-21 NBA Playoffs. Without Klay Thompson as their second vital offensive weapon missing the entire season, perimeter shots won’t be the key to win tonight’s match for Curry. If the Warriors want to beat a team who feels like they’re proven to upset dynamic duos after past failures, the game plan should be to double team Lillard on every possession. Shutting off Lillard’s drive at the top of the arc will force bad passes and result in transition points.
Curry often plays off the ball and with his ability to have defenders chase him around the perimeter, it’ll create open looks once screens are set preventing the contested shot. Lillard is a isolation guard who takes the fourth quarter in his own hands with dynamic plays down the stretch. Attacking the paint is a option for Curry, but he’ll need his surrounding weapons to get the Blazers bigs in foul trouble early if he wants to have his way with easy floaters. Tonight is a must win game for the Warriors and second chance points will determine the winner who outsmarts the other team.