While the Golden State Warriors left no doubt why they are the defending champions with a brilliant fourth quarter in Tuesday night’s 110-99 win over the Blazers, the doubt over MVP Stephen Curry’s sprained right knee still lingers.
The Warriors lead the best-of-seven series 2-0. Game 3 is Saturday at the Moda Center.
And for now, Curry’s status remains uncertain even though he told ABC during Game 1 he thought his chances of a Game 3 were “pretty good.”
Curry reportedly received a platelet rich plasma (PRP) injection in his knee shortly after the injury which occurred on April 24, according to Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group.
Warriors general manager Bob Myers told a Bay Area radio station that he, nor anyone knows when Curry will return. He added that when he returns to the court for basketball activities, they will then have some idea.
Both the Blazers and Warriors took Wednesday off, taking advantage of the first day of a three-day lay-off between Game’s 2 and 3.
There will likely be another update on the status of Curry when the Warriors return to the practice court Thursday.
The Warriors have handled things against the Blazers just fine without the soon-to-be two-time MVP in the Western Conference semifinals.
In Game 2, the Blazers played three of their best quarters of the entire postseason but it was undone by a 34-12 domination by the Warriors in the fourth quarter.
It’s what they do to everyone, but as the series shifts scenes, the raucous crowd will turn against them instead of push them.
Although the Blazers blew an 11-point lead heading into the fourth quarter, they can still take away some positives from the game.
After an atrocious defensive performance in Game 1, the Blazers were energetic, focused and stingy for most of the game. They also found ways to exploit the Warriors defense.
The Warriors took 57 contested field goals, six more than they had in Game 1, compared to just 33 for the Blazers, according to tracking from NBA.com.
Part of that can be attributed to the way the Warriors are defending Portland’s wings like Al-Farouq Aminu, Maurice Harkless and Gerald Henderson.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr and Blazers coach Terry Stotts both commended the Blazers for their defense and execution and if they can sustain it for 48 minutes their chances of making the series interesting will be excellent.
It’s a familiar challenge for the Blazers and one they faced last series.
But they aren’t facing the tortured, cursed Clippers this time around and have already seen that even when the Warriors bring their C-game, they still find ways to win.
As for the Blazers, the break appears to come at an important time. While the Warriors had a few days to process the end of their first round series and the fact that they would be without Curry for a little while, Portland rolled right from one series to the next.
They have played every other day since April 23 and with Lillard fighting the effects of a chest cold, it’s clear both sides in this series could use the rest.
