Golden State (48-4) at Portland (27-27)
When: Friday, February 19th 2016
Where: Moda Center, Portland, OR
Time: 10:05 ET | TV: CSN Bay Area, CSN Northwest
The Golden State Warriors’ quest for 73 wins resumes tonight in Portland as they take on a hot Trail Blazers team. The Warriors went into the All-Star Break with 11 consecutive wins and need to go 25-5 in their final 30 games to eclipse the Chicago Bulls 1995-96 record of 72 wins. Warriors stars Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson did not shy away from talk of chasing that record when interviewed repeatedly during the All-Star festivities in Toronto. “Just to be in the conversation of ‘You guys can do it’ is crazy. It’s great,” Thompson told ESPN radio over the weekend. “I would have never imagined this. Growing up, I always thought that record was untouchable.” Golden State kicked off a seven-game road trip with a 112-104 victory at Phoenix in the final game prior to the week off and are averaging 121.4 points in the current 11-game winning streak. The Warriors will play 17 of their final 24 games at home – where they have yet to lose – after finishing up the current road trip. Golden State was won four straight in this series and six of the last seven.
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The Trail Blazers, who started the season 11-20, have turned things around and are now pushing for a playoff spot coming out of the break. Portland has won eight of their last nine games overall to reach .500. They are currently the seventh seed out West – a half a game ahead of Houston (8th) and Utah (9th). Point guard Damian Lillard, who missed out on an All-Star bid despite his 24.3 points and 7.3 assists, put up a season-high 40 points in a 128-108 home loss to the Warriors on January 8th. Lillard scored 64 points in the final two games prior to the break last week and has double-digit assist outings in his last five games. Fellow guard C.J. McCollum is having a break-out season averaging 20.7 points and even competed in the 3-point shooting contest last weekend, finishing third behind Golden State’s Klay Thompson and Steph Curry. The Trail Blazers were involved in a pair of minor moves on Thursday and acquired PG Brian Roberts from Miami, a conditional first-round draft pick from Cleveland and veteran C Anderson Varejao, who is expected to be waived.
Tonight’s Fantasy Picks: None
Portland is playing with a lot of confidence right now and their two guards can compete with the Warriors when they’re on their game. The week off might have slowed down the Warriors a bit, but I still think Golden State wins – but not by double-digits.
Pick: Blazers +9
