The Golden State Warriors wrapped up their preseason run with a 128-118 win over the Portland Trail Blazers Friday night at Chase Center, capping off a 4-2 record before the real games start Wednesday. This wasn’t just another exhibition game, though. It was the final dress rehearsal, and the starters played their heaviest minutes yet, getting themselves dialed in for the first meaningful contest of the season.
Kerr’s Starting Lineup Shocker
For anyone paying attention to the rotations, head coach Steve Kerr delivered an interesting nugget right away: the starting lineup. Earlier in the week, Kerr had hinted he was leaning toward a starting five of Steph Curry, Brandin Podziemski, Yaxel Lendeborg, Gui Santos, and Draymond Green. So, you’d think he’d run that five out for the finale, right? Nope. Kerr instead opted to give Charles Bassey the opening assignment over Santos. It’s anyone’s guess if Kerr’s now eyeing a new starting five, or if he just wanted to see Bassey get some burn alongside Green. Either way, both potential lineups saw opening action. Bassey got banged up in the first half, played just eight minutes, and Santos was right there to step in for him to kick off the third quarter. It was definitely a curveball.
That wasn’t the only notable thing in the starting lineups, though. Warriors fans got their first real look at the new-look Blazers, who are rolling out an All-Star backcourt of Damian Lillard and Ja Morant. It’s certainly an interesting pairing, and it had some seriously mixed results on this night.
From Sluggish Start to Draymond’s Dominance
Both squads came out of the gates looking a little rusty. The energy was there, sure, but the shots? Nah, they just weren’t falling. The Dubs were playing some solid defense and getting good looks on offense, but couldn’t buy a bucket, missing their first seven shots! It took nearly three minutes before Lendeborg finally dropped in a push shot for their first points. Portland eventually shook off their own slow start with back-to-back threes from Toumani Camara and Lillard, grabbing a 10-2 advantage early and forcing Kerr to call a timeout.
It took a few minutes for that timeout to really sink in. Morant pushed Portland’s lead to 15-4, and you could feel the frustration. But then, just like that, the Warriors took over. Just over five minutes in, Curry finally got on the board with a back door cut, and that was the spark for an absurd run by the Dubs. Draymond Green was the real catalyst for that takeover, making sensational passes and playing some absolutely spirited defense that got everyone going.
The Warriors are done with the warm-ups. The regular season kicks off Wednesday, and after seeing them fight back from that 15-4 deficit, you gotta be hyped for what’s next, especially with that starting five still a bit up in the air.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Golden State of Mind.
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