Warriors game day: Does Golden State have answer for Lillard?
Steve Kerr, 3rd season with Warriors (163-28 with Warriors and overall); Terry Stotts, 5th season with Blazers (195-161 with Blazers and 310-329 overall)
Warriors (23-4); Blazers (13-15)
Warriors: PG Stephen Curry (24.9 ppg, 5.9 apg), SG Klay Thompson (21.7 ppg, 2.1 apg), SF Kevin Durant (25.5 ppg, 8.4 rpg), PF Draymond Green (10.8 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 7.1 apg), C JaVale McGee (5.3 ppg, 2.3 rpg)
Trail Blazers: PG Damian Lillard (27.7 ppg, 6.0 apg), SG C.J. McCollum (22.4 ppg, 3.7 apg), SF Maurice Harkless (12.4 ppg, 5.2 rpg), PF Al-Farouq Aminu (5.9 ppg, 6.3 rpg), C Mason Plumlee (10.7 ppg, 7.2 rpg)
Warriors injury report: C Zaza Pachulia (right wrist contusion) and PF David West (right hip contusion) are questionable.
Trail Blazers injury report: PF Al-Farouq Aminu (back contusion) is doubtful.
In four of his past five regular-season games against his hometown team, Lillard has scored at least 30 points.
The most memorable outburst came Feb. 19, when he hung a career-high 51 points on Golden State.
Lillard’s 776 points in 28 games are the most by any Portland player through this point in a season in franchise history.
Because the Blazers’ backcourt boasts another elite scorer in C.J. McCollum, the Warriors face a difficult conundrum Saturday:
Wearing a wrap on his right wrist after shootaround Saturday, Pachulia looked like his old self as he hit midrange jumper after midrange jumper.
The fulcrum of Golden State’s offense, Pachulia excels at reading the defense, setting screens, finding the open man and attacking the glass.
There is no question that, even though JaVale McGee has been a revelation as a fill-in starter, the Warriors are a better, more versatile team with Pachulia in the lineup.
Can the Blazers string together enough stops?