SAN FRANCISCO – There were moments, boy, were there, that presented justifiable cause for groaning and moaning among the fan base. The deeper the game, the quicker the pulses got inside Chase Center.
But this, the Warriors can call progress. The proof is in the math.
The Warriors have their first four-game win streak of the season, and they are back above .500 for the first time in three weeks.
They earned it the hardest way possible, sprinting to an 18-point lead over the Trail Blazers in the first quarter, falling behind by 11 late in the third quarter and then rummaging their souls over the final 13 minutes to somehow find a second consecutive game-winning comeback.
Golden State’s 118-112 victory Friday night at Chase Center was equal parts resilience and tomfoolery. Resilience won that battle.
“We just stayed with it,” coach Steve Kerr said. “We had to summon some energy. With the fourth game in six nights, we had some lulls, but the guys kept competing, kept fighting. The defensive effort down the stretch was fantastic.”
Nobody among the Warriors symbolized their highs and lows than the thrill ride that is Jordan Poole. He was by turns marvelous and dreadful, scoring 41 points and committing seven turnovers – the last of which came inside the final minute.
Golden State Warriors
It’s quite the feat to commit so many turnovers and finish a team-best plus-18, but JP managed it.
“Forty-one points, six assists ... seven turnovers,” Draymond Green said, clearly embracing the totals. “Somebody else can cry about it. I’m not.”
No, this was a night to be enjoyed. Savored. Golden State’s fourth-quarter defense was nearly as remarkable in allowing Portland only 16 points as it was two nights earlier in limiting Utah to 13 points.
The inability to close – so evident on the road – seems to have vanished in the confines of home.
Told that the Warriors have their first four-game win streak of the season, Draymond clearly was pleased.
“That’s incredible,” he said. “It is absolutely amazing.”
Beginning with three days off after a disastrous road trip through the Eastern Conference, recent conditions have been relatively optimal for a Warriors team without Stephen Curry and Andrew Wiggins. And the record indicates they took full advantage.
There was the spectacular win over the redoubtable Memphis Grizzlies on Christmas Day, followed by a stunning finish to put away the Charlotte Hornets and then coming back the next night to yank victory from the Utah Jazz. Not always pretty, but highly effective.
And now this, a game in which they punished the Blazers early, turned submissive in the middle two quarters and got downright vicious in the fourth.
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The Warriors are 4-0 at the halfway point of their longest homestand of the season. They have a good chance to take the next four, against the Atlanta Hawks, the Detroit Pistons, the Orlando Magic and the Phoenix Suns.
This is progress. It’s not always pretty. But considering the circumstances, winning four straight games while two All-Stars watch from bench is a lot of goodness of which the Warriors can build.