Portland Trail Blazers: 3 takeaways from Game 3 loss vs. Warriors
1. The stars might be out of gas
In a battle of two of the league’s best backcourts, the Portland Trail Blazers duo of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum haven’t been their normal selves. Lillard’s 20.3 points per game on 32.6 percent field goal shooting in the Western Conference Finals is a massive drop-off from his 28.4 points per game on 43.1 percent shooting in previous rounds. McCollum is averaging 20.7 points per game on 37.1 percent shooting in this round after producing 25.6 points per game on 45.5 percent shooting in previous rounds.
The Warriors, a high-level defensive team, have certainly planned well to stop these two. However, it also feels like some of the duo’s errors are unforced. Some of Lillard’s five turnovers came more from a lack of focus than lockdown defense. A few of their bad shots were more a result of tired legs from playing every other day since April 29 than from great closeouts.
It was particularly disheartening to see the lack of spark from Lillard and McCollum in the second half. They combined for 20 points on 7-of-23 (30.4 percent) shooting, five fouls and three assists. Golden State began their customary third quarter push, but it was clear that the Blazers duo would not have an answer for them on this night. It just wasn’t there for them, and an 18-point lead turned into an 11-point loss.
After Game 3, Sham Charania of The Athletic and Stadium revealed that Lillard was attempting to play through a rib injury. He suffered it in Game 2 when he dove for a loose ball and Warriors big Kevon Looney fell on him. While Lillard’s struggles have occurred throughout the series, having separated ribs certainly doesn’t help matters.
dark. Next. Golden State Warriors: 3 takeaways from Game 3 road win vs. Blazers
Still, for all the missteps in the first three games of this series, the Blazers have one more shot to avoid a sweep at the hands of the defending champions. It’s hard to figure out where that spark is going to come from after such a tough loss, but Portland will have to figure it out in time for Monday.