PORTLAND, Ore. _ Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr returned toward holding his clipboard and leading the huddles. Meanwhile, the Warriors returned toward slow starts and sloppy play. And unlike what they have shown for most of the 2017-18 season, the Warriors could not recover.
The Warriors suffered a 123-117 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday, an appropriate development considering the Warriors have openly wished the All-Star break started almost two weeks ago. That moment will start this weekend where Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green will all play on Sunday in Los Angeles.
On Wednesday, though, the Warriors' talent could not overcome what the Blazers (32-26) offered. The Warriors (44-14) trailed by as many as 20 points. They labored through a 40-27 deficit following the first quarter. And they looked sluggish most of the way.
But the Warriors have met few challenges they could not match. After all, the Warriors overcame large first-quarter deficits to Philadelphia (19) and New Orleans (14, 13) and won this season. So it only seemed expected for the Warriors to be within striking distance up through the final moments.
The Warriors could not prevail then, though.
Durant surprisingly missed an open pull-up jumper as the Warriors trailed, 117-115, with 46.5 seconds remaining. After Portland guard CJ McCollum missed a stepback jumper, Thompson missed a wide-open 3-pointer. After Portland guard Evan Turner made a pair of foul shots, Curry made a pair to cut Portland's lead to 119-117 with 6.3 seconds left. But after Al-Farouq Aminu made two more foul shots, Durant was called for a turnover for stepping out of bounds.
Such miscues overshadowed Durant's 50-point night on 17-of-27 shooting in 37 minutes. Such miscues coincided with the Warriors' inefficiency elsewhere. The Warriors shot only 26 of 62 from the field. Curry (17 points) and Thompson (17) went a combined 12-of-29 overall. Meanwhile, Portland guard Damian Lillard nearly canceled out Durant's output with 44 points on 14-of-25 shooting.
And with all that, the Warriors hope the All-Star break will leave them rested and motivated.
