Warriors back on winning track with easy victory over Blazers

Stephen Curry complemented his 18 points with a season-best 14 assists as the Golden State Warriors came out of the All-Star break with one of their best offensive performances of the season in a 132-95 victory over the host Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday night, February 24 (Friday, February 25, Manila time).

Klay Thompson tied Curry for team-high scoring honors with 18 points and Jonathan Kuminga came off the bench for 17 more as the Warriors redirected themselves after closing the first half with four losses in their last five games.

Anfernee Simons poured in a game-high 24 points for the Trail Blazers, who went into the break on a four-game winning streak.

Recording 36 assists on 45 field goals and making more than half their field goal attempts, the Warriors rallied from a 10-point, first-quarter deficit to take the lead for good in the second minute of the second period.

In completing a 3-0 season-series sweep, Golden State’s largest lead came at the end of the 37-point win.

Coming off an All-Star Game performance in which he made a record 16 three-pointers, Curry went 2-for-7 from beyond the arc against the Trail Blazers and didn’t even lead his own team in threes. That honor went to Thompson, who buried four of seven.

Curry’s 14 assists equalled his most since recording 15 in a loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in April of 2016.

Kuminga was the game’s leading rebounder with 8.

Jordan Poole chipped in 15 points, while Andrew Wiggins, Kevon Looney, Gary Payton II, and Otto Porter Jr. added 10 apiece for the Warriors, whose point total was their second-highest of the season behind a 138-point explosion in January at Chicago.

Looney made five of his six shots, helping Golden State finish at 51.1%. The Trail Blazers connected on 39.7%.

Simons’ 24-point output came on the heels of three consecutive 30-point outings. He played just under 29 minutes in the blowout, five fewer than he played in any game in his 30-point run.

Justise Winslow had 14 points, while Josh Hart and Brandon Williams added 12 apiece for the Trail Blazers, who had averaged 116.0 points during their winning streak.

Hart also logged team-highs in rebounds with 6 and assists with 4. – Rappler.com