Sometimes, a Wednesday night game heading into the All-Star break isn’t the most competitive or aesthetically pleasing affair. Guys are gearing up for a well-deserved break and/or preparing to head to Atlanta for the abbreviated version of the annual mid-season festivities.
That was particularly true for the Blazers-Warriors game, the nightcap to ESPN’s doubleheader, which featured some relatively lackluster basketball for the majority of its three-plus quarters right up until both teams realized that somebody had to try and win this game.
It was a poor shooting night for both team’s star players, but Steph Curry, who had a big first quarter before cooling off, came up with a couple of huge three-pointers late in the fourth to put the Warriors ahead. Ultimately, it was Damian Lillard who was able to seal the 108-106 win for the Blazers with a clutch three-pointer with under 15 seconds remaining, which he followed on the ensuing possession by drawing a charge call on Draymond Green.
⌚️ DAME. FROM. DEEP. ⌚️@trailblazers up 2 with 13.7 left on ESPN! pic.twitter.com/aefe5Sam7F
— NBA (@NBA) March 4, 2021
Damian Lillard draws a potentially game-winning charge pic.twitter.com/CwdyDB8e0v
— Jackson Frank (@jackfrank_jjf) March 4, 2021
The Warriors got one more chance on a halfcourt heave from Kent Bazemore that missed wide-left, and the Blazers walked away with the close victory. Lillard finished with 22 points, but was just 3-of-10 from three on the night. He joined Carmelo Anthony, who also had 22 points for the game, and three other Blazers in double figures scoring, including Gary Trent Jr. and Robert Covington, who had 15 apiece, and Enes Kanter with 11 points and 14 rebounds. Curry led all scorers with 35, but didn’t get enough from the rest of the Warriors to get a win.
