of portland trailblazers Lost to Avalanche to complete 2022 preseason schedule golden state warriorsThe Warriors started, but still devastated a team without Damian Lillard.
Due to the nature of the game, this summary will be short and relatively straightforward. “relatively” heavy.
What happened
Both teams got off to hot starts and made baskets with a steady clip, but the Trail Blazers started falling behind in the second quarter when the youngster scored an overtime run. No, but the Warriors didn’t exactly field a best-of-five. The lead ballooned to 18 before Portland led to 12 at the half.
This isn’t the first time I’ve heard this, and only miraculously it will be the last, but defense was an issue. The Trail Blazers were barely able to block dribble intrusions, routinely lost sight of players who didn’t have the ball to cut them, and cast an open look at the Warriors’ rim. , made them fit inside. Portland was half a step behind Golden State’s offense most nights.
They also struggled to box out, conceding their advantage on grass. This was exacerbated by Jusuf Nurkic’s foul trouble, picking up a five-man encounter in the 12th minute. The lack of was exposed, foreshadowing weakness to follow them into the regular season.
Neither Nurkic nor the rest of the starters checked in after closing the game in the third quarter, but the lead was already out of control. At one point, the Warriors were trailing him by 39 points before the final period. It could have been a pretty close game had Portland’s offense held up, but the Warriors’ stifling defense eventually held the team to his 38.6% off the field.
Final score: Warriors 131, Trail Blazers 98
player notes
Anfernie Simmons seemed more comfortable and unhesitating to run the offense than she did last season without Damien Lillard. It’s good that his performance has been good, but he does little to answer questions about how he’ll pair up with Lillard, who’s learning to share the court.
Speaking of good looks, Shadon Sharp was a solid performer with 17 points and six rebounds.
Jerami Grant luckily escaped injury after contesting a Moody layup in the first quarter. He landed hard, appeared slightly shaken, and cautiously limped away from the incident.
Jusuf Nurkic was responsible for both teams having foul trouble in the first half. He attempted a game-high 14 free throws and sank 12 while committing the aforementioned five fouls.
Olivier Sar suffered a right wrist sprain and did not recover after the match.
next
Regular season play has begun! Trailblazers are Sacramento Kings October 19, 7:00 PM PDT.
