Splash Brothers Drop 71in Golden State Win

12 Mar, 2016

Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson dominated their matchup with the Portland backcourt of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum on Friday night, exploding for 71 points in the Golden State Warriors’ 128-112 blowout of the Trail Blazers.

Curry had 34 points and Thompson a game-high 37 as the Warriors (58-6) avenged their most lopsided loss of the season en route to their 47th consecutive home-court win.

Lillard scorched the Warriors for 51 points and McCollum added 21 in Portland’s 137-105 home win over the defending champs on Feb. 19. But this one was a polar opposite almost from the opening tip.

Thompson poured in four 3-pointers in the first 6:03, helping Golden State take the lead for good at 16-9.

Then Curry, scoreless at the point, took over, dropping in four 3s of his own and adding three two-point hoops in a personal 18-point flurry over the final 4:55 of the period, helping Golden State run up a 40-27 advantage.

The margin reached 20 by halftime and 24 by the end of the third quarter, allowing both teams to rest starters for the second half of a back-to-back upcoming on Saturday night.

Curry, who was held to 12 points in Wednesday’s win over Utah, surpassed that total in the first 11 minutes this time around. He finished 13-for-23 from the field, including 7-for-14 from 3-point range.

Thompson was even better. He bombed in 13 of his 22 shots, including eight of his 11 3’s.

The eight 3-pointers gave Thompson 204 for the season, making him and Curry the first set of teammates in NBA history to record 200 3s apiece in a season for years in a row.

Draymond Green had team-high totals in rebounds (13) and assists (seven) to go with 17 points for the Warriors, who have opened a six-game homestand with three consecutive wins.

The Warriors shot 44.9 percent from the field and even better from beyond the 3-point arc, hitting 18 of 40 (45.0 percent).

With the Trail Blazers dropping in 19 of their 36 3-point attempts, the clubs combined for an NBA-record 37 3s, breaking the old mark of 36.

McCollum had 18 points and Lillard 17 for the Trail Blazers (34-32), who were coming off a 116-109 overtime win at home Tuesday over Washington to snap three-game losing streak.

Portland had won 10 in a row when it had had two or more days off leading into the game.

Lillard, who shot 18-for-28 and connected on nine 3-pointers in his 51-point eruption against the Warriors last month, was harassed into 5-for-19 shooting in the rematch. He missed five of his nine 3-point attempts.

McCollum shot just 6-for-15, although he did hit half his six attempts from 3-point range.

Backup Gerald Henderson had 12 points and Meyers Leonard recorded a double-double with a team-high 13 rebounds to complement 10 points for the Trail Blazers, who have lost four in a row on the road by an average of 15.3 points.

The loss was costly for Portland in the playoff race. The Trail Blazers began the night in the No. position, but now find themselves tied in the loss column with Dallas (33-32) and Houston (33-32), who are only a half-game behind.

Reuters

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