Tonight, the Portland Trail Blazers travel to San Francisco, looking for a season sweep of the Golden State Warriors. The Blazers have emerged victors in each of the teams\u2019 first three meetings this season.<\/p>\n
The Warriors had rattled off a run of eight wins in 11 games before the Hawks swooped into town and delivered a drubbing Sunday night. Though Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler III combined for 61 points, the Warriors were outplayed on both ends of the floor<\/a> by Atlanta.<\/p>\n Golden State will try to bounce back against a Blazers squad that will play without the head of its snake<\/a>, Deni Avdija, who left Sunday\u2019s loss to the Knicks with a bad back. The Blazers will look to build on the steady growth of players like Toumani Camara, Sidy Cissoko, Donovan Clingan and Caleb Love to secure a victory.<\/p>\n Portland Trail Blazers (19-21) at Golden State Warriors (21-19) Tues., Jan. 13 – 8:00pm Pacific<\/p>\n How to watch via antenna or cable: NBC<\/a><\/p>\n How to listen: Trail Blazers Audio Network<\/a><\/p>\n SB Nation Affiliate: Golden State of Mind<\/a><\/p>\n Trail Blazers Injuries: Deni Avdija, Scoot Henderson, Damian Lillard, Kris Murray, Matisse Thybulle, Blake Wesley (Out); Jerami Grant (Doubtful).<\/p>\n Warriors injuries: Seth Curry (Out).<\/p>\n Kit: The Blazers will take the floor in its red Statement Edition jerseys<\/a>. Golden State will wear its blue Icon Edition unis.<\/p>\n Trail Blazers: W vs UTA, W vs HOU, W vs HOU, L vs NY<\/p>\n Warriors: L at LAC, W vs MIL, W vs SAC, L vs ATL<\/p>\n Trail Blazers:<\/a> Points, Avdija (26.1 per game). Rebounds, Clingan (10.7). Assists, Holiday (7.9). Steals, Thybulle (2.5). Blocks, Clingan (1.4). Trail Blazers:<\/a> Offensive rating: 113.5 (21st place) Defensive rating: 116 (19th place) After Portland played 27 games without a point guard, Jrue Holiday returned to the court Sunday, only to see team leader, Avdija, exit the game in the fourth quarter with back pain. Holiday played 16 minutes off the bench. He scored eight points (on 2-7 shooting) and had four assists. In postgame remarks<\/a>, Holiday said: \u201cIt just kinda sucks when one person comes back and another person gets hurt.\u201d Holiday reported no calf soreness after the game.<\/p>\n Who Will Replace Avdija\u2019s Contributions?<\/p>\n That\u2019s the question on everyone\u2019s mind. Holiday told the Rose Garden Report this season has been a team effort.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cIt makes a difference when you have a group of guys that care about each other,\u201d he said. \u201cWe all love to see Sidy [Cissoko] and [Caleb] Love play the way they\u2019ve been playing. I love to see [Donovan Clingan] play the way he\u2019s been playing. Obviously, Deni should be an All-Star this year. It\u2019s just big jumps for everybody and it\u2019s been happening at the right time.<\/p>\n \u201cThese guys are playing well and playing big minutes and winning big games. You see these young guys playing well and playing very hard. Not only for me, but this city is seeing how fun it is to watch us play.\u201d<\/p>\n The Blazers will need the whole squad to bring it tonight in order to finish the job against a proud Warriors team.<\/p>\n In spite of Portland\u2019s plague of injuries, there are many signs of growth. The team won seven of its last nine games while playing a schedule at which I looked askance<\/a>, but which was in fact one of the toughest schedules played by any team in the league. Portland is now tied with Atlanta for the most games played (26) against the 16 teams with winning records, going 11-15 against that group.<\/p>\n Houston couldn\u2019t seem to make a three<\/a> (Subscription required) during its two-game stand in Portland. That helped paint an interesting statistical picture. During their five-game winning streak, the Blazers – a team that does not exactly shoot the lights out – outscored opponents by 99 points from 3-point range. It\u2019s not a complete anomaly. The Blazers have held opponents to the league\u2019s seventh-lowest opponent 3-point shooting percentage (39%) overall. They\u2019ll need to keep it up tonight vs. Curry, the best long range shooter to ever do it.<\/p>\n What\u2019s Love Got to Do With It?<\/p>\n Many unheralded Blazers are getting playing time as injured veterans sit. They\u2019re making the most of their opportunities. Undrafted guard, Caleb Love for one has put together a nice string of games and Joe Moore is taking note. <\/a><\/p>\n \u2026Love has now scored double-digit points in 11 straight games. His scoring abilities have helped Portland get a boost in close games despite being devastated by injuries.<\/p>\n The Warriors squad was putting together a respectable run before getting pasted by the Hawks. There was a time when its fast break offense was the league\u2019s gold standard. Viewers will note a different style of play now that the team\u2019s roster is less athletic. This season, Golden State ranks in the bottom five in transition frequency and efficiency. Now that the entire league plays fast, Kerr told the San Francisco Chronicle<\/a> he has adopted an 11-man rotation, subbing players in for short shifts.<\/p>\n \u201cAs a player, it\u2019s not easy to play a four-minute stretch and come out. You feel like maybe you don\u2019t have a chance to catch your rhythm,\u201d Kerr said. \u201cBut with the speed and the pace of the game and the nature of our roster, where we have a lot of depth but not a lot of clear separation\u201d \u2026 four-minute bursts are sensible.\u201d<\/p>\n
Warriors:<\/a> Points, Curry (28.8 per game). Rebounds, Kuminga (6.2). Assists, Green (5.5). Steals, Melton(1.5). Blocks, Horford (1).<\/p>\n
Warriors:<\/a> Offensive rating: 114.5 (15th place) Defensive rating: 112.6 (9th place)<\/p>\n