Programming note: Blazers-Warriors Game 2 coverage starts tonight at 6:30pm with Warriors Pregame Live on NBC Sports Bay Area, and streaming live right here.
OAKLAND -- Ian Clark’s eyes may not light up at the sight of the Portland Trail Blazers, but his offensive statistics certainly do.
The backup guard’s most efficient game this season -- and of his Warriors career -- came last November in Portland, when he was 8-of-8 from the field and 3-of-3 beyond the arc in scoring 22 points in 25 minutes.
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Seven weeks into the season, that was Clark’s season-high -- until the Blazers came to Oracle Arena on Dec. 17 and he scored 23 points on 9-of-11 shooting.
Asked about his success against Portland, Clark claimed to be unaware until it was pointed out to him on Tuesday.
“I haven’t really thought about it,” he said. “I don’t think it’s really anything. I just come out and play the same way.”
Clark against Portland in the regular season scored 52 points in 71 minutes, on 19-of-25 shooting. He dropped 12 points in 12 minutes Sunday as the Warriors posted a 121-109 win over the Blazers in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series.
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“I remember having good games; I don’t know the exact numbers,” he said. “But I approach every game the same. It’s just against this team, the shots fall.”
Though it certainly helps Clark that the Blazers guards, starters and reserves, aren’t known for defense, he says his preparation for Portland is not different than that against any other teams.
The only thing he can point to is the pace of Warriors-Blazers games, which tend to play fast, and the ongoing support of his teammates. Even when his shot isn’t falling, they continue to offer encouragement.
“The coaching staff and my teammates, they tell me to keep shooting,” he said. “Just be who I am. And me being a young player in this league -- they’ve been around a lot longer -- it hits me a little more than it would hit them if they miss a couple shots.”
He doesn’t miss very often against one particular team, which the Warriors happen to be playing at least three more times this postseason.