The Portland Trail Blazers came so close to winning the first game of the series, but the Golden State Warriors used some outstanding second half shooting that gave them the edge in game 3 of the first round NBA Playoffs. The Warriors now have a comfortable 3-0 lead in the series and will try to sweep the series on Monday night when they step on the court of the MODA Center in Portland. The game tip-off is scheduled for 10:30 PM ET.
Golden State Warriors at Portland Trail Blazers Game 4
LINE: Golden State -7 (-106); moneyline -270
Total: 220 points (-102 over, -103 under)
The Trail Blazers unable to hold on to a huge lead, face postseason elimination
Portland Trail Blazers had to win the first home game in this series to keep their playoff hopes alive. Unfortunately for them and their fans, they fell short despite having 17-point lead at one moment.
Game started with the early lead for the Trail Blazers inspired by some great passing by their big man Jusuf Nurkic, who returned to the lineup after missing seven regular season game and two more playoff matches with an undisclosed fracture in his leg. That injury obviously hampered “The Bosnian Beast” as he was moving extremely slow, but still managed to use his strength to outmuscle the Warriors players in the paint.
Nurkic dished some great passes to his open teammates lifting the team to a 11-3 lead, and from that point on the Blazers were always in some significant lead. Unfortunately, Nurkic’s injury limited his time on the court but he still managed to grab 11 rebounds and 4 assists (together with 2 points) in just 17 minutes. Portland played arguably their best half so far in the series which they ended with 67-54 and some great shooting percentage – 8 from 13 behind the arc and 53% FG overall.
It was looking like it is time for the Trail Blazer to record the first win in this series. However, as the game was progressing, so did the Blazers started missing shots and making some bad decision, eventually allowing the Warriors to get back into this game and eventually win. All those impressive numbers from Portland offense in the first half significantly dropped in the second half. Portland scored only 46 points with 5-of-19 for three and reducing their shooting percentage to 43% for the game. As the final result will show, that was probably the closest to a W that the Blazers will come in the series.
Portland won the rebound game (52 to 42) but lost the turnover battle (16 to 7). Their main players were running on fumes while the game was reaching end, and they posted almost identical numbers: Both Lillard and McCollum spent 39 minutes on the floor and were shooting 10-23 from the field, CJ finished with 32 and Lillard had 31 points. They got good outing from Turner (17 pts) Aminu (14 pts) and Vonleh (10 pts) but that ends their list of players with double digits.
Place: Moda Center, Portland, Oregon
Date/Time: Saturday April 24th, 2017. 10:30 PM ET
TV Coverage: TNT
The Warriors win Game 3 without KD, need one more to sweep the series
The Warriors showed why they are considered the prime favorite for the title despite playing without their All-Star forward Kevin Durant (calf injury) and also missing Matt Barnes and Shaun Livingston. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr was also absent due illness, but rest of the Warriors roster and staff were enough to beat surging Trail Blazers.
The Warriors opened up pretty slow, obviously having trouble to follow Portland’s offensive pace, due to KD and other injured players absence, but also having trouble hitting some open shots. Even Steph Curry and Klay Thompson were off the target for the entire half.
The Warriors made some adjustments on the defensive side of the ball after the half-time break and were powered by a great third quarter from Klay Thompson and an even better fourth period by Steph Curry. Thompson was pivotal figure in the 19-1 run in the third quarter (in only four minutes!) with three 3-pointers (without a miss) which turned the tide of this game and probably put out any hope for Portland regarding their chances to win this series (if there was any, to be honest).
Fourth quarter was a tactical game in which Mike Brown (filling in for the Steve Kerr) won a battle of second lineups early on. He rested his star players before the final minutes and then Warriors top guard duo closed the game against tired CJ and Lillard. Steph showed why he was the two time MVP and together with some unexpected heroes (Ian Clark) that was enough to close the game. Portland came close at one point reducing the Warriors lead to 4 points, three minutes before the end but one turnover proved to be too costly putting the game beyond their reach.
Stephen Curry counted to 34 points while shooting 10-25 from the field, and Klay Thompson added 24 points with also modest 38% FG. Another great overall game by Draymond Green, who finished the game with nine points, eight rebounds, seven assists, six blocks (!) and two steals. Patrick McCaw had a similar game with 11 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, three steals and a block.
Kevin Durant (calf), Kevon Looney (hip), Shaun Livingston (hand) and Matt Barnes (ankle) are all questionable to play on Monday.
Golden State Warriors at Portland Trail Blazers Game 4 Trends & Prediction
Golden State is tossed up regarding covering the spread with 39-39-4 overall record in the regular season, but they have covered the spread in the last 4 away games. They are averaging 116.1 points per game in this series (113.5 points on 100 possessions) while Portland are averaging not so impressive 101 point per game. In the postseason, the Warriors are 2-1 ATS, just barely covering the spread in the last meeting with the Blazers. The Warriors are also 32-50 against the over /under in the regular season, while in the Playoffs they have gone 2-1 against the over/under so far.
The Portland Trail Blazers almost covered in their latest loss as they were +5 point underdog. In the regular season 82 matches, the Blazers are 40-42 ATS overall, while in the postseason they are 1-2 ATS. The Blazers are also 45-37 against the over/under in the regular season, while in the Playoffs they have pretty much continued paying off for their backers, going 2-1 in the first two games.
Stephen Curry is averaging 27.3 points in this series, while Klay Thompson is second behind with 18.3 (those two are best of the active players, only Durant scores more, with 32 points on average, but he is doubtful). On the other side, CJ McCollum and Damian Lillard are by far best players on Portland roster, with 28 and 25.7 PPG, respectively.
The books have adjusted the total a bit, raising it to 220 points as opposed to the 217 in the last game, which adds to my numbers as well. The Blazers are fully aware what’s on the line when they step on the court of the MODA Center on Monday night. It is either, go hard or go home. On the other side the Warriors have shown their vulnerability in the first half and if it were not for the outstanding shooting in the second half, I am sure that the Blazers would be in a different position now. However, it all comes down to if KD plays or not on Monday night. Assuming he sits out another game, I am going with the points on the Blazers, while taking the Under this time.
MY PICK: Portland Trail Blazers +7 (-102)
TOTAL: Under 220 points (-103)
