What We Learned As Warriors Waste Another Steph Curry Flurry In Loss To Blazers

What we learned as Warriors waste another Steph Curry flurry in loss to Blazers originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

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Steph Curry scored 48 points and made 12 3-pointers against the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday night at the Moda Center, yet the Warriors found themselves on the wrong side of an incredibly disappointing 136-131 loss. 

The Warriors now are 0-3 against the Blazers this season and fell below .500 (13-14) with the loss. 

An abundance of heroics ended in frustration for Curry. He missed a layup with 29.6 seconds left that would have put the Warriors ahead by one point and then turned the ball over while double teamed on their next possession. Curry has combined to score 87 points with 18 threes in the Warriors’ last two games. 

And the Warriors have lost both of them.

Jimmy Butler was the Warriors’ second-leading scorer with 16 points. Every starter scored in double figures and Brandin Podziemski dropped 12 off the bench, but the Warriors for the second straight game couldn’t find a second 20-point scorer on a night where the Blazers had three of them. 

Draymond Green, playing his first game in 10 days, had 14 points with a team-high eight rebounds and seven assists, but also turned the ball over eight times and was a team-worst minus-12.

Poor defense and too many turnovers again crushed the Warriors. The Blazers shot 50.6 percent from the field and made 20 threes at a 51.3-percent clip. They also scored 24 second-chance points off 10 offensive rebounds, as well as another 24 off 18 Warriors turnovers. 

Here are three takeaways from the Warriors’ second straight loss.

Dray’s Day

The combination of a right foot sprain and excused personal reasons held Green out for each of the Warriors’ last three games. His impact on the Warriors’ offense was felt immediately Sunday night in Portland. Whether it was assisting or making one himself, Green had his hand in each of the Warriors’ first four made shots, which all were 3-pointers. 

But Green, knocking some rust off, also was responsible for the Warriors’ first three turnovers from a handful of errant passes and had two quick fouls in the first quarter.

As the Blazers put little attention on Green’s offense, he kept making them pay in the first half. Green was the Warriors’ second-leading scorer at halftime with 14 points, just one behind Curry, on 5-of-6 shooting with two threes, six rebounds and four assists. He also didn’t commit any turnovers and wasn’t whistled for any fouls in the second quarter.

A little under halfway through the third quarter, Green picked up a technical foul for loudly disagreeing with the referees while Curry was in the middle of his flurry. Green was scoreless in the third quarter while losing the ball and his composure far too much with four turnovers in just under seven minutes.

He again failed to score in the fourth quarter and was whistled for three fouls. Green in the second half was a minus-7 in 16 and a half minutes. The bad, unfortunately for him and the Warriors, outweighed the good.

Batman and Robin Antidote Not Enough

Coming into Sunday night, the Blazers were the worst 3-point shooting team in the league, shooting a lowly 32.1 percent. Their 13.8 threes per game ranked 13th in the NBA, but in terms of accuracy, no team has been worse than the Blazers. So of course they couldn’t miss against the Warriors. 

But the dynamic duo of Curry and Butler had the perfect answers to counter the Blazers’ blows in their own unique ways. For Curry, the answers were at the 3-point line. For Butler, the answers were at the free-throw line.

Curry’s 15 points in the first half were a warmup for him. The curtains opened and the show really began once the Warriors returned from halftime. Fans of both teams ooh’d and ahh’d every time Curry threw up a three and didn’t even need to watch the ball trickle through the net with four threes in the third quarter. He then scored 10 points within the first three and half minutes of the fourth quarter and dropped an absurd 21 in a little under 11 minutes. 

He passed Michael Jordan for the most career 40-point games for a player after turning 30 years old.

Shooting wasn’t as easy for Butler. In the first half he took five shots and missed each one. But the crafty veteran knows how to get the free-throw line and was a perfect 8 of 8 at the charity stripe in the first half. 

Butler wound up going 10 of 11 on free throws in a game where he made only three of his 11 shot attempts. His body control is second to none. Butler now has attempted 10 or more free throws in eight games this season, joining five others to reach the mark that many times in the NBA in 2025-26.

Will Kerr Find Consistent Starting Five? 

Finally, the Warriors are the healthiest they have been this season. Perhaps that can give them a consistent starting lineup. Steve Kerr on the Warriors’ 27th game of the season used his 15th different starting five, including the ninth unique one in as many games. 

What we do know is Curry, Butler and Green are guaranteed to take up three of the five spots. What we don’t know is who will earn the other two. Moses Moody and Quinten Post did so in Portland. It was Moody’s 14th start of the season, and Post’s 13th. 

Having a 7-footer next to Green that can stretch the floor makes the most sense. That leaves Post as the only option to check those boxes while 39-year-old Al Horford continues to struggle with both his health and play. Miscommunication between Green and Post led to two bad turnovers on back-to-back possessions in the third quarter. 

Post was the lone Warriors starter to have a positive plus/minus and scored 11 points in a game where he was 3 of 6 behind the 3-point line.

For Moody to remain in the starting five, he has to make threes – especially when they’re wide open. He had four of them in the first half and missed all four without really being contested. Moody ended up scoring 12 points and was 2 of 4 on threes in the second half.

The starting five played nine minutes together and were outscored 29-28. To answer a frequently asked question, De’Anthony Melton will not start for the time being. Melton’s minutes are capped around 20 per game right now, and the Warriors want him to be able to close games, hence why he’s not starting.

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