NBA 2018-19 Hits and Flops: Golden State Warriors vs Portland Trail Blazers

The Golden State Warriors traveled to the Moda Center in Portland to take on the Portland Trail Blazers in an exciting matchup. The Trail Blazers were the ones that came out on top with a huge win, 129-107.

In a game which saw a rare ejection for the Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, The Blazers snapped Golden State's five-game winning streak, rebounding after their own 2-game losing streak. Despite the loss, which ended an 11-game winning streak on the road, the Golden State still go into the break with the best record in the Western Conference.

In the 4th quarter, the game went away from the Warriors, they only scored 12 points to the Blazers' 35. The Warriors were missing DeMarcus Cousins, Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston because of rest and missed them sorely. It was the last game before the All-Star break for both teams, with the Warriors ending top with a 41-16 record while the Blazers stay 4th with a 34-23 record.

Let us now look at 3 of the hits and the flops from the game that happened:

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HIT: Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors)

Curry was himself against the Blazers last night, scoring a massive 32 points in just 33 minutes, trying to lead the Warriors onto another win but it was not meant to be. He was a little inconsistent with his shot, shooting under 43% for the night, he was unable to get himself going from deep, making just 5 shots in 14 attempts. He still tied for the highest scorer for the Warriors and had 7 rebounds as well as 2 assists. With Klay going missing tonight, it was upto him and Durant but it did not go well.

MISS: CJ McCollum (Portland Trail Blazers)

McCollum has been a solid partner to Damian Lillard all season long, averaging 21 points per game, along with 4 rebounds and 2.8 assists a game as well. But of late, he has been underperforming and it had been looking bad for the Blazers. Even in the game against the Warriors, CJ only managed to muster 15 points, playing a lowly 26 minutes. He shot 38.5% from the field and did not offer much in supporting stats, getting just 2 assists and 3 rebounds. Playing alongside Dame has limited his upside and with him unable to find his shot of late, he has been a shadow of himself.

HIT: Jake Layman (Portland Trail Blazers)

Jake Layman has been amazing for Portland Trail Blazers

Layman has been a breakout star this season for the Blazers. He might only be averaging 8 points a game, along with 3 rebounds a game this season, but of late, he has been the savior they needed off the bench. His 3-point shooting and ability to play as a stretch forward has been great.

His minutes have steadily gone up each month and he has averaged 28 minutes a game this month, scoring 16 points per game, along with 3.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists a game. He has been superb in the win over the Warriors, scoring 17 points, shooting at an amazing 77.8%, making 60% of his shots from beyond the arc. Look for him to be a huge part of the Blazers in the coming matches.

MISS: Draymond Green (Golden State Warriors)

The always fiery Draymond Green has a game to back himself up with whenever he launches a tirade. But this season has been one of the worst for the Warriors' forward. He has never been a great offensive player, but he has got worse this season, averaging just 7 points a game, along with 7.6 rebounds and 7.3 assists a game.

He is shooting a horrendous 23.3% from the 3 this season and it has been the story all season. In the game against the Blazers, he scored just 9 points, shooting the 3 at 25%, grabbing only 5 rebounds and dishing out 7 assists. He turned over the ball 3 times too but had 3 blocks to support his game tonight. He still managed 5 fouls, that probably was one of the reasons why he had a bad game tonight.

HIT: Damian Lillard (Portland Trail Blazers)

Portland Trail Blazers have always had Lillard watching their back

Lillard has been superb all season for the Blazers. He has been their franchise player and has performed at an exceptional level. He has averaged 26.3 points per game, along with 6.4 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game as well and it was no different against the Warriors last night.

He stepped up whenever his team needed him, scoring 29 points in 32 minutes, making 60% of his shots as well. He made a team high 6 out of 8 3 point attempts and was superb. He was an elite facilitator as well, dishing out 8 assists and grabbing 3 rebounds as well. He was definitely the best player on the court and it showed, with the Blazers grabbing a big win last night.

MISS: Klay Thompson (Golden State Warriors)

Klay Thompson was probably the worst player on the court all night long. He has been having his ups and downs all season long, but was playing well of late. But it was a really bad game for Klay last night, scoring just 9 points.

He shot 2-16 from the field, an abysmal 12.5% from the field. He tried becoming a playmaker for the team, dishing out 8 assists and grabbing 4 rebounds as well. He was not comfortable at all in the 32 minutes on the floor and he will look to bounce back in the next game after the All Star break.