The Golden State Warriors came up short in a 123-118 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, but the night still offered a clear bright spot: the role players showed real life.
Golden State shot 48.3% from the field and a sharp 55.9% from three, hitting 19 of 34 from deep. That kind of perimeter output usually gives a team a real chance to steal a win. Instead, Portland answered with enough offense of its own and controlled the game in the margins, finishing with a 47.4% mark from the floor, a 50-40 edge on the glass and 34 assists.
The Blazers’ attack was balanced throughout the rotation. Deni Avdija led the way with 23 points, Jeremy Sochan added 10 points in just nine minutes, and Portland kept finding production across the board.
For Golden State, Dalen Terry was the headliner. He nearly posted a triple-double, finishing with 23 points, eight rebounds and nine assists, and he added four steals to the mix. Miles Kelly was right there with him as the biggest scoring punch off the bench, dropping 24 points and burying six threes.
Kelly was the Warriors’ most dangerous offensive weapon among the reserves. He scored 24 points on 8-16 shooting, added seven rebounds and six assists, and finished with a team-best plus-14. When Golden State needed a jolt from its second unit, he delivered it.
Terry did just about everything else. He came up one assist and two rebounds short of a triple-double, hit four of his five attempts from beyond the arc, and kept the pressure on Portland with his activity on both ends. The four turnovers were the one drawback, but the rest of his line was hard to ignore.
Brandon Williams also made his minutes count. In just 18 minutes, he scored 17 points on 7-11 shooting and handed out four assists. Golden State won his minutes by one point, and he packed a lot into a short run.
Will Richard turned in a steady complementary showing. He scored 15 points, went 3-3 from three and 6-6 at the line, and posted a plus-4, which was the best mark among the Warriors’ starters.
Charles Bassey gave Golden State efficient minutes too. He finished with 13 points on 6-7 shooting, grabbed six rebounds, and added three steals and three blocks. The turnovers and minus-2 were the only real blemishes on a strong all-around line.
Graham Ike chipped in 10 points and six rebounds, while also knocking down two of his three three-point tries. He didn’t get to the line cleanly, going 0-2, but he still provided useful spacing.
Alex Toohey’s night was a mixed bag. He scored five points, blocked two shots, made his lone three-pointer and added two assists, but the minus-20 stood out as the toughest number on the board.
LJ Cryer had a quieter outing, finishing with six points and one assist while going 1-4 from deep. He ended at minus-18.
Malevy Leons struggled to find efficiency, shooting 2-11 from the field, but he still contributed five rebounds, a steal and a block in 33 minutes. The defensive activity helped, though Golden State clearly needed more from him offensively.
The result was a loss, but the Warriors got plenty of production from the supporting cast. On a night when the shooting held up, the bench and depth pieces still made their presence felt.
In Other News...
Blazers New Backcourt Is Already Raising One Huge Question
The preseason opener against Golden State offered a glimpse of what Portlands revamped guard group could look like on offense, with Damian Lillard and Ja Morant both finding the scoreboard and looking comfortable in the same gym. For a team that has added serious shot creation, that part is easy to imagine. The harder part is sorting out how all the pieces fit when the Trail Blazers already have Jrue Holiday and Scoot Henderson in the mix.
Portlands backcourt depth gives the roster more punch, but it also leaves coach Micah Nori with a lineup puzzle that has to be solved early. Morant and Lillard bring the kind of firepower that can change a game in a hurry, while Holiday offers a more defensive-minded alternative if the team decides it needs more balance. The question now is not whether the guards can score together, but whether the Blazers can find the right combination to keep opponents from exploiting them on the other end. [Read more 🡒]
Clippers Bring Back A Familiar Name As Roster Battle Takes Shape
The Clippers kept their preseason roster at 21 players by bringing back a familiar wing, signing Jahmyl Telfort to an Exhibit 10 contract as roster battles continue to take shape around the league. Telfort had already spent time with Los Angeles on a two-way deal before being cut in December, and he is expected to head back to the San Diego Clippers in the G League as part of the next stage of that path.
Elsewhere in the same Exhibit 10 shuffle, Portland moved on from guard Jaylen Martin and Sacramento waived Trhae Mitchell after signing him, a reminder of how these camp deals often double as a pipeline to the G League. For the Trail Blazers, Martin's latest move fits the familiar late-summer churn, with the organization again sorting out its deeper back-end options while keeping an eye on development opportunities tied to the Rip City Remix. [Read more 🡒]
Warriors Loss Brought Back A Familiar Offensive Concern
For a stretch, the Trail Blazers got exactly the kind of offensive help they have been searching for around Damian Lillard and Ja Morant. Deni Avdija set the tone with 23 points, Portland got meaningful production from the bench, and the ball moved well enough to keep Golden State from leaning on the usual answers. It was the sort of balanced night that can make the offense look more reliable, even against a team that had its own bright spots from Miles Kelly and Dalen Terry.
The concern, though, is how quickly that balance can disappear when Portland is not getting that extra lift. The Blazers have seen the offense bog down before when scoring becomes too concentrated on the stars, and this game served as a reminder of how much easier things get when the supporting cast is involved. The encouraging part is that the pieces were there against the Warriors, which leaves the bigger question of whether that level of help can show up consistently. [Read more 🡒]