Blazers vs. Warriors (8 ET, NBA TV)
Elite Duos
Two of the top three scoring backcourts in the NBA match up during an exciting Western Conference showdown on NBA TV. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson lead the Warriors’ attack with 52.4 points per game while Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum power Portland with an average of 45.8 points. Golden State’s Splash Brothers along with Lillard are the top three 3-point shooters in the league, each hitting more than 3.0 3-pointers per game. On Feb. 19, Lillard dominated the Warriors for a career-high 51 points to help Portland deal Golden State one of its eight losses this season. Will Lillard and the Blazers be able to do it again in Oakland tonight to secure a fifth straight win?
Starting A New Streak
The Warriors’ 54-game regular season home winning streak was snapped by the Celtics on Friday night. Boston was aggressive on defense, holding the Warriors’ top four scorers (Curry, Thompson, Draymond Green and Harrison Barnes) to a combined 25-for-59 shooting (42.3 percent). The Warriors will look to bounce back from that performance tonight as they hope to avoid back-to-back losses at home for the first time since January 2014. Golden State is 2-1 against Portland this season, with the winning team scoring at least 128 points in each of the series’ three games.
Playoff Implications
The Warriors hold a 4-game lead over the No. 2 seed Spurs with six games remaining, including two against San Antonio. A win tonight would all but lock up the top spot for Golden State. The Trail Blazers sit in the No. 6 seed, 0.5 games behind No. 5 seed Memphis and 2.5 games ahead of No. 7 seed Dallas and No. 8 seed Utah. Portland could jump into the No. 5 seed tonight with a win over Golden State and a Memphis loss against Orlando (6 ET, League Pass). In addition, Portland can clinch its third consecutive playoff berth with a win and losses by Dallas, Utah and Houston tonight. Be sure to keep an eye on NBA.com/PlayoffPicture over the final two weeks of the regular season to see how every game impacts the final standings.
Eyes On 73
The Warriors need to finish 5-1 over their final six games to secure an NBA-record 73 wins. After tonight’s game in Oakland, the Warriors play two more at home (against Minnesota and San Antonio) before a quick two-game trip (at Memphis and San Antonio) leads into their final game of the season at home (against Memphis). It’s not an easy final six games, which makes tonight’s game at home even more important for the champs who have chased 73 wins all season. A win tonight would tie Golden State with the 1971-72 Lakers and 1996-97 Bulls for second most wins all-time.
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NBA.com staff reports
