Warriors defeat Blazers with free throws in a close battle.

On Wednesday night, the Portland Trail Blazers were defeated by the Golden State Warriors 110-106. Portland outperformed the Warriors in almost every area, including defense, forcing numerous turnovers, and even outshooting them from beyond the arc. Portland put up a great fight, but it took a lot of free throws and some Steph Curry magic for Golden State to win.

If you were not able to watch the game, you can view our quarter-by-quarter summary right here. Once you’ve mastered that, the following are the elements that affected or resulted from the game.

A Peep Into the Future

We mentioned this last week at the conclusion of one of the recaps, but I’ll say it again right up top here. We are beginning to see hints of the potentially menacing persona that these same Trail Blazers may have in three years as the season goes on.

Portland gave the Warriors fits tonight with their physicality and ability to close against seasoned shooters and dribblers. Disregard open shots. It appeared as though Golden State’s players could not move for long stretches of this game without a Portland defender pursuing them. The Blazers’ lateral agility made them appear interchangeable if they switched. They recovered very quickly if they were bumped off the play. Before the Blazers gained height, they were wide and strong.

Continue reading on our recap here