The Golden State Warriors, it turns out, are the perfect tonic for all that ails the Portland Trail Blazers.
The reeling Blazers ended a three-game losing streak Sunday night, using a clutch fourth quarter and withstanding a vintage Stephen Curry performance to defeat the Warriors 136-131 at the Moda Center.
Curry fell one shot short of his first 50-point game of the season and the Warriors sported a double-digit lead in the fourth.
But the Blazers (10-16) made more plays down the stretch of a seesaw final quarter, sneaking away with a much-needed victory over the Warriors (13-14).
Portland received a sizable boost before the game, when starting center Donovan Clingan and backup center Robert Williams III returned after missing the better part of a week because of injuries and illnesses.
And they were instrumental in the win, combining for 14 points, 21 rebounds, six assists and three blocks.
But it was the Blazers’ play in the fourth, especially down the stretch, that sealed the win. Portland outscored the Warriors 40-32 in the final period thanks to a monster finish by Jerami Grant, who scored 19 points in the deciding quarter.
He had a three-point play to give the Blazers a 130-129 lead with 1:11 left, then nailed a pair of dagger free throws with 13.2 seconds left to ice the win. The Blazers’ starting shooting guard made 6 of 9 shots, including 5 of 5 threes, in the fourth, fueling a 35-point outing.
Curry torched the Blazers all night, making 12 of 19 three-point shots, but he had a crucial flub down the stretch, missing an open driving layup with 29 seconds left. Curry also committed a backbreaking turnover, fumbling away the ball under relentless pressure from Toumani Camara and Shaedon Sharpe with 15 seconds left.
It was the Blazers’ third win over Golden State this season and all three have cured some kind of malaise. The first came one day after coach Chauncey Billups was arrested by federal agents at his Lake Oswego home; the second came in November and ended a four-game losing streak.
The third win was just as important for a team that had lost 11 of its previous 14 games, including four of five in December.
Top performers
Sharpe matched Grant’s offensive eruption, finishing with 35 points, and Deni Avdija added 26 points, eight assists and seven rebounds for the Blazers.
Curry carried the Warriors all night, scoring 48 points on 16-for-26 shooting.
Curry pads shooting record
Curry’s three-point barrage padded one of his most impressive records.
It was the 28th time in Curry’s storied career that he finished with at least 10 in a game, bolstering his NBA-record total. The next closest on the all-time list is Klay Thompson, Curry’s former teammate, who has finished with 10 or more long-range shots in nine games.
No. 3 on the list? Blazers point guard Damian Lillard, who has done so six times.
Next up
The Blazers host the Sacramento Kings on Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Moda Center.