PORTLAND — After a game memorable for reasons that had nothing to do with what happened between the lines, the Moda Center was the scene of another one of a kind experience Friday.
For Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors were in town, a team so good that even their sideline reporter is peppered for autograph requests during pre-game warm-ups, which have become an event of their own for this team.
Curry mesmerized the crowd, Klay Thompson was arching from deep and the versatility of Draymond Green was on full display in a 128-108 victory over the Blazers to improve to 34-2, the best record in NBA history through 36 games.
“They’re on pace to have the best record ever. I think they’re likely to get it,” Blazers coach Terry Stotts said. “They’re dominating the league right now. I don’t see any signs of letting up. They know how to play, they know their formula for success and they execute it very well.”
Damian Lillard had a season-high 40 points as well as 10 assists in the losing effort.
Before the game, the Blazers intro video featured comic book renderings of the players on the team, but it was clear to everyone in the arena very quickly that the only superheroes were wearing blue and yellow.
The Blazers went the first 4:47 of the game without a field goal until Al-Farouq Aminu connected on a floater.
Curry even had the extra body armor, to boot, playing with a modified soccer shin guard to protect his injured left shin.
He looked more than comfortable with the modified gear and the Warriors were their usual, dominant selves.
The Warriors got off to a 22-6 start, which all but secured the game for them.
Over the past two seasons, the Warriors haven’t lost a game in which they led by 15 points or more.
The Blazers did their best to make it a game, but the Warriors did what they’ve done to most of the league this season, simply giving the opponent the illusion they could come back.
“The frustrating part about the start was that we were getting good shots but we just couldn’t score,” Stotts said.
“Because of the way they play, you always have a chance to get back in it,” said Lillard, who only stopped trying to make this game competitive when Stotts took him out with 4:41 left to play. “They play a fast-paced game, they shoot a lot of long shots. We got down early. I remember us cutting it to 12 or something that and the game is coming back in our favor and then they hit two 3s and it’s back at 20.”
Thompson, who grew up not far from the Moda Center in Lake Oswego and has family in Clark County, made himself at home with 19 first-quarter points which helped build a 17-point first quarter lead.
Lillard, the Oakland native who grew up cheering for bad Warriors team after bad Warriors team, looked the most comfortable in the challenge of facing this special team.
Lillard was efficient and played easily his best game since returning from plantar fasciitis in his left foot, which caused him to miss two weeks.
“I knew I would get it going eventually,” Lillard said.
At one point in the second quarter, the Warriors had as many made 3-pointers as the Blazers had made free-throws.
The final tally was 18 Warriors 3-pointers to 20 Blazers made free-throws.
One night after being mistakenly left off the active roster, Blazers guard CJ McCollum had an off night, going 7-for-23 from the field for 17 points, missing plenty of open looks and lay-ups around the basket that normally fall for him.
Green came back into the game in the fourth quarter for an assist to secure his NBA-leading eighth triple-double of the season with 11 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists.
