Oakland (USA), .- Power forward Draymond Green scored the decisive basket and Andre Iguodala put a stop to a triple attempt by Lillard that avoided going to extra time in the second match of the Western Conference finals. The Golden State Warriors won 114-111 to the Portland Trail Blazers.
The victory allows the Warriors to take the lead of 2-0 in the series to the best of seven and the tie moves to the Fashion Center in Portland, where next Saturday will play the third game and Monday the fourth.
Iguodala, who had not had his best match in attack, returned to play a great defense and be decisive in the triumph of the Warriors to star in the key action as it was in the absence of 4.3 seconds to the end cleanly take the ball from Lillard in his attempt to find the triple that forced the extension.
Before Green had achieved the basket with which the Warriors assured the advantage that would be the final and completed a comeback of 15 points of disadvantage that had had to go to rest (50-65).
Green finished the game as the most complete player of the Warriors by providing a double-double of 16 points, 10 rebounds -all defensive-, seven assists and no less than five blocks.
While base Stephen Curry finished as the Warriors’ leading scorer with 37 points, including four triples with 14 attempts, eight rebounds and eight assists.
“Iguodala and Green have been our great saviors because they showed again that they know how to play as a team and also win games,” Curry said at the conclusion of the game, the third consecutive in which he scored at least 30 points. “His contribution showed why we are the league champions.”
The guard Klay Thompson supported him with another 24 goals, four times of eight attempts, but only eight of 22 field goals, without having his best inspiration in the first half.
Then, in the third period, when the history of the game changed, Thompson was the protagonist by scoring 13 of the 39 points that the Warriors scored.
The surprise factor was put by reserves, the center Kevon Looney, who scored 14 points with eight rebounds, while power forward Jordan Bell reached 11 points, recovered two balls and put a stopper, which allowed him to complete the list of the five players of the Warriors who had two-digit numbers.
As a team, the Warriors finished with 51 (42-82) percent on field goals, 31 (9-29) on triples and 77 (21-27) on staff, compared to 44 (38-86), 46 (18-39) and 94 (17-18)%, respectively, of the Trail Blazers, who also lost the duel under the hoops with 50 rebounds that the two league champions had by 37 from Portland.
“We have achieved a great victory, but we have to analyze the statistics calmly, because we can not afford to fail as much from the personnel line against an opponent as the Trail Blazers,” said Warriors coach Steve Kerr. “In the end the important thing is the victory, but we must work more for the future of the series that has only just begun.”
Portland, who dominated the entire first half, as reflected in the partial score, in the third period succumbed to the inspiration of the Warriors, who had a 13-0 run that changed the history of the match.
Then in the final stretch they could not get the deciding goals either, but backup reserve seth curry, brother of Stephen with one minute and three seconds scored a triple that gave the Trail Blazers the last advantage (110-111).
The younger brother of the Curry made a great game by becoming the sixth player of the Trail Blazers after playing 29 minutes in which he scored 16 points (5-9, 4-7, 2-2), gave two assists and made one Great defensive work with four robberies, team leader in that facet of the game.
But Looney made a dunk with Green’s assistance, and the Warriors All-Star power forward managed the decisive basket with a pass from Curry and the current two-time NBA champions finished the game with a 14-3 run.
Lillard, who finished as leader of the Trail Blazers with a double-double of 23 points, 10 assists, five rebounds and a stopper, in the end could not be the savior of his team because of another defensive genius of Iguodala.
While the guard C.J.McCollum, who was instrumental in the attack of the Trail Blazers in the first part, disappeared in the second and his 22 points could not prevent the defeat of the Portland team. (EFE)
