The Golden State Warriors ended the first half of 2025-26 victoriously.
Opposite the Portland Trail Blazers down emerging star forward Deni Avdija, the Warriors rolled Tuesday at Chase Center to a 119-97 victory in their 41st game. De’Anthony Melton provided a season-high 23 points for Golden State while Jimmy Butler added 16 points, six rebounds and five assists.
Advertisement
The Warriors forced 22 turnovers for 29 points and made 23 shots from 3-point range, recording 34 assists on 42 baskets. Stephen Curry had a season-low seven points on 2-of-9 shooting but added a season-high 11 assists as Brandin Podziemski scored 15.
Golden State is 22-19 and positioned eighth in the Western Conference after winning nine of its last 13 games.
“I think we’re in a pretty good spot. Figuring it out,” Draymond Green said. “It’s just really figuring out who we are as a team now that we’re healthy and whole. I think it’s kind of starting to come together for us to turn the corner. We’re building an identity.”
The Warriors at the halfway mark rate 15th offensively (114.6 points per 100 possessions) and fifth defensively (112.2), determined by three months of up-and-down play. They haven’t yet had four more wins than losses and haven’t yet won four consecutive games, posting an 8-11 record against winning opponents.
Advertisement
They’re also 8-12 in the clutch when games are played within a five-point margin in the final five minutes, seven times losing by five points are fewer.
Asked how’d he assess Golden State through 41 games, Butler deadpanned “mediocre,” noting “it’s the worst place to be … because yes – it can go either way, but nobody wants be just average.”
Head coach Steve Kerr said the Warriors are in a “pretty good place” but affirmed their record “should be better.”
Added Kerr: “None of that matters. We’ve got to just take care of ourselves right now and do what we can to climb out of the standings. So, playing better. Playing pretty consistently. Doing a lot of good things right now.”
Advertisement
The Warriors built a 67-41 halftime lead on the strength of their shooting, making 13 of 31 first-half triples as the Trail Blazers (19-22) sputtered to 3-of-19 shooting. Green keyed a 9-4 start with a layup, a floater and a standstill three to key a 38-24 quarter in which Golden State shot 60.9%
Sharp ball and player movement keyed 19 assists for 23 first-half baskets, including two threes apiece from Melton, Green, Moses Moody, Gui Santos and Will Richard. Without Avdija – and wing Jerami Grant – the Trail Blazers were short on off-the-dribble pop en route to 35.7% first-half shooting.
Warriors 119, Trail Blazers 97
FG
FT
Reb
Camara
28:44
2-8
0-0
1-4
2
3
6
Cissoko
26:07
1-4
0-0
1-3
0
3
3
Clingan
22:20
2-3
2-2
1-9
1
1
7
Love
33:55
5-16
5-8
1-3
7
2
17
Sharpe
28:02
9-15
0-2
0-2
2
1
19
Rupert
26:46
5-9
2-2
0-1
2
1
13
Holiday
20:53
4-12
2-3
2-8
3
2
12
Williams III
15:52
5-5
0-0
1-8
0
1
11
Cooke
13:28
1-5
0-0
0-3
2
0
3
Hansen
12:33
1-3
0-0
1-2
0
0
3
Reath
11:20
1-3
0-0
0-2
0
2
3
Totals
240:00
36-83
11-17
8-45
19
16
97
Percentages: FG .434, FT .647.
Advertisement
3-Point Goals: 14-47, .298 (Camara 2-6, Holiday 2-8, Love 2-9, Williams III 1-1, Clingan 1-2, Cooke 1-3, Hansen 1-3, Reath 1-3, Rupert 1-3, Cissoko 1-4, Sharpe 1-5).
Team Rebounds: 10. Team Turnovers: None.
Blocked Shots: 3 (Camara, Love, Williams III).
Turnovers: 22 (Love 4, Cissoko 3, Clingan 3, Holiday 3, Williams III 3, Camara 2, Cooke, Hansen, Rupert, Sharpe).
Steals: 7 (Love 2, Rupert 2, Cooke, Sharpe, Williams III).
Technical Fouls: None.
FG
FT
Reb
Butler III
26:26
5-7
5-5
0-6
5
3
16
Green
22:07
4-9
0-0
1-7
0
1
10
Post
14:14
1-5
0-0
0-0
1
2
3
St.Curry
24:31
2-9
1-1
0-4
11
1
7
Moody
22:50
5-9
0-0
0-2
3
1
14
Podziemski
21:31
6-10
0-0
0-4
1
1
15
Santos
21:23
2-4
0-0
1-4
6
0
6
Horford
20:05
2-6
0-0
0-2
4
0
6
Richard
18:30
2-5
2-2
0-0
0
0
8
Melton
18:07
9-14
1-1
0-2
1
3
23
Payton II
12:52
3-5
2-2
1-1
1
2
8
Hield
5:48
1-4
1-2
0-1
0
0
3
Jackson-Davis
5:48
0-1
0-0
0-0
1
0
0
Spencer
5:48
0-1
0-0
1-1
0
0
0
Totals
240:00
42-89
12-13
4-34
34
14
119
Percentages: FG .472, FT .923.
3-Point Goals: 23-57, .404 (Melton 4-6, Moody 4-8, Podziemski 3-5, Santos 2-3, Richard 2-5, Green 2-6, Horford 2-6, St.Curry 2-8, Butler III 1-2, Post 1-5, Hield 0-1, Payton II 0-2).
Advertisement
Team Rebounds: 12. Team Turnovers: None.
Blocked Shots: 5 (Green 2, Horford, Moody, Richard).
Turnovers: 14 (Green 6, Hield, Horford, Payton II, Podziemski, Post, Richard, Spencer, St.Curry).
Steals: 16 (Santos 4, Green 2, Payton II 2, Podziemski 2, Richard 2, Hield, Horford, Spencer, St.Curry).
Technical Fouls: None.
Portland
24
17
30
26
–
97
Golden State
38
29
28
24
–
118
A_18,064 (18,064).
Portland opened the second half with a 19-5 run to pull within 12, but Golden State answered with a 7-0 burst – after Trail Blazers guard Jrue Holiday bypassed an uncontested layup for a kickout three from Toumani Camara – that reignited its dominance.
Advertisement
Curry and Green sat through the fourth quarter while Butler watched the last 10:30.
Shaedon Sharpe scored a team-high 19 points for the Trail Blazers – to whom the Warriors lost their first three matchups – while Holiday added 12 points and eight rebounds. Portland shot 30% (14 of 47) from 3-point range.
“Good night to get everybody on the floor,” Kerr said. “These are welcome nights when you can get them.”
The Warriors continue their eight-game homestand Thursday against the New York Knicks.
Briefly: Golden State and Portland worked in tandem to establish a new NBA record with 21 participants making a 3-pointer. The previous record of 20 was twice established: the Brooklyn Nets and Toronto Raptors on March 28, 2022, and the Nets and Milwaukee Bucks on Aug. 4, 2020… Golden State opened a lead it didn’t relinquish for the second time this season (Dec. 7 against the Chicago Bulls)… Santos established a career high with four steals and equaled a career high with six assists.
Advertisement
This article originally published at Warriors blast shorthanded Trail Blazers, reach halfway mark 22-19.