The difference was made by backup point guard Stephen Curry, who saw extended run after starter Shaun Livingston was tossed.
Curry entered the day with an injury status of “doubtful,” later upgraded to “questionable,” and ended the night as “unquestionable.” He scored 40 points on the night, 27 of which came in the fourth quarter or overtime, capping a late night win over the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Game 4 victory puts Golden State within 48 minutes of advancing to the Western Conference Finals.
Despite the late heroics, it wasn’t just the Stephen Curry show. Forward Draymond Green blocked seven shots, a career high in the regular or postseason, adding 21 points, four steals, five assists and nine boards.
The win is the 11th of the season when coming off a loss, and the Warriors still have not lost back to back games. They were in danger of being put on notice after Portland dominated in Game 3 at the Moda Center, and for a few frames, looked as though the Warriors might have to limp through the series.
Golden State scored 29 third quarter points to Portland’s 18, though, thrusting themselves back into the game that they were so vividly losing.
The Warriors return to Oracle Arena Wednesday night for Game 5 and try to put a bow on the series that has pushed them to the limit a few times already.
Jason Leskiw is SFBay’s Golden State Warriors beat writer. Follow @SFBay and @LeskiwSFBay on Twitter and at SFBay.ca for full coverage of Warriors basketball.
Last modified May 10, 2016 7:50 am
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