December 11, 2017 ·With tonight’s victory, the Warriors record stands at 22-6 and have won a season-high-tying seven consecutive games (including a sweep of their most recent six-game road trip)… Golden State has tallied 11-straight wins over Portland (19 of the last 20 meetings), including the playoffs (12 straight at Oracle). ·The Warriors made 10 three-point baskets tonight and now have 10-plus made threes in 25 of 28 games during the 2017-18 campaign, a league-leading mark (Houston, 24). ·Golden State played their 10th unique starting lineup of the season tonight. ·The Warriors held the Trail Blazers to an opponent-season low 25.0 percent from beyond-the-arc (previous, 11/16 at Boston, 32.9 percent) ·With a capacity crowd tonight (19,565), the Warriors have sold out 251 consecutive games at Oracle Arena (including playoffs). ·Kevin Durant posted 28 points in tonight’s contest, and has now scored the 44th most career points in league history (19,712), passing Utah’s John Stockton (19,711)… Durant added game-high-tying marks of nine rebounds and five assists along with three blocks in 36 minutes on the floor… In the last three games he has totaled 99 points, 30 rebounds, 22 assists and 10 blocks. ·Nick Young tallied 12 points (5-of-8 from the field, 2-of-2 from three), his seventh double-digit outing of the season before leaving with a concussion. ·Omri Casspi posted 11 points (his sixth double-digit outing of the season), along with a season, and game-high-tying nine rebounds while making his fifth start of the 2017-18 campaign. ·Jordan Bell made his third-career start, scoring 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting, his second-career game of double-digit scoring, adding six rebounds, one steal and a block in 26 minutes of play. ·Andre Iguodala appeared in his 1,000th career regular-season game (one of 126 players in league history to appear in 1,000-plus career-regular season games), posting six points, eight boards and a game-high-tying five assists. ·David West scored 10 points (5-of-6 from the field) in 18 minutes, recording consecutive double-digit scoring outings from the first time as a Warrior (11 points on 12/8 at Detroit). ·Stephen Curry did not play (sprained right ankle), his fifth game missed this season. ·Draymond Green was out (right shoulder soreness), his third game missed this season (two injury, one rest). ·Zaza Pachulia missed tonight’s contest with left shoulder soreness, his third missed contest this season.
WARRIORS HEAD COACH STEVE KERR ON THE BENCH PRODUCTION TONIGHT: “Not just tonight, but the last few games without Steph (Stephen Curry) and Draymond (Green) and Zaza (Pachulia) missing some games too. It’s been a good chance for Jordan (Bell) and Kevon (Looney) to get out there and JaVale (McGee) did a nice job the other night in Detroit. He didn’t play tonight because of the matchups. Quinn Cook coming up and doing a good job. These nights are really powerful for a team where the guys are able to get out there that are not usually in the lineup. It makes them feel good, it makes us feel good and it just strengthens the depth.” ON DAVID WEST’S IMPACT ON THE TEAM: “David’s had a spectacular season. It’s crazy. It seems like every night he’s doing this. Hitting five or six shots, blocking shots and setting screens. He’s one of the smartest players out there on the floor every night. He’s just been brilliant. Sometimes I think a guy later in his career, especially a guy like David, who has been an All-Star, it’s almost like you are playing with house money. You just let it go, play and experience the joy. He’s having a lot of fun out there you can see it and he’s playing great.” ON THE DEFENSE TONIGHT: “Overall, great. We got out on shooters. JB (Jordan Bell) was really good switching on to their guards and challenging shots. I thought all in all, until that fourth quarter stretch, when we got a little lazy, I thought the defense was good.” ON WHAT HELPS THEIR NEW PLAYERS ADJUST QUICKLY TO THE TEAM: “The key is just having a lot of talent around them and the continuity that already exists on the team. It’s hard to integrate six or seven new players, but if it’s three or four on a team that already has the continuity that we have, it’s much easier. The older guys just sort of lead them and help them along. They have all been really good and are fun to have on the team and they are all contributing.” ON WHAT WAS THE MOST SATISFYING PART OF TONIGHT’S GAME: “I’m always satisfied with any win, but particularly without three starters - that’s a great sign. I liked our defense for three quarters. Fourth quarter was a little disappointing and we let our guard down. Damian Lillard got rolling and he’s tough to stop so I’ll give him credit, but a good win and we move on.” ON JORDAN BELL’S ROOKIE DEVELOPMENT: “We are trying to bring Jordan along slowly, but he makes it hard to keep him off the floor with what he does. We are pointing out his mistakes and trying to teach him about the NBA game and about his opponents, who he is guarding and what to expect. It comes at you fast as a rookie from one night to the next. You have all these star players, tendencies you have to learn and coverages, terminology and everything else. He’s coming along really well and he’s been outstanding for us.”
TRAIL BLAZERS HEAD COACH TERRY STOTTS ON WHAT HE LIKED ABOUT HIS TEAM’S FOURTH-QUARTER PERFORMANCE: “I liked the way we competed. I thought Damian (Lillard) did a nice job of leading that group. Zach (Collins) was very competitive. Pat (Connaughton), Noah (Vonleh), Jake (Layman) – they all competed, led by Dame. It was good to get back into the game. When you cut it to eight points, you never know what can happen.” ON FALLING BEHIND EARLY: “(Kevin) Durant and (Klay) Thompson made big momentum shots. They just had a lot of runs, and we weren’t able to answer them.” ON STRUGGLING FROM THREE-POINT RANGE: “I love threes. I wish we could take more and make more, but they’re not always going to be there. We’ve had good three-point shooting games. It hasn’t really been as consistent as I would like. It comes and goes. When they’re not falling, you still have got to trust that they are going to go.” ON IF HE IS TRYING TO FIND A SOLUTION LATE IN GAMES: “We were down basically 20 going into the fourth quarter, and I wanted to give it one more shot. Dame was competing, and the group in the fourth quarter did a great job. I was hoping that they could pull it out because they deserved it.”
WARRIORS FORWARD KEVIN DURANT ON THE WARRIORS' DEFENSE TONIGHT: "Yeah, we got 6'7", 6'5", 6'9", 6'8", 6'11" starters, and I may be a little generous with JB (Jordan Bell’s height) but we got a long lineup starting the game as far as covering up the paint, covering ground quick and so, using our length and blocking some shots. We had nine (blocks) tonight, which is pretty sweet. Good to have that luxury of protecting the rim. We're going to need to continue to keep our men in front, and help out as much as we can and do a solid job on the three-point line. 7-for-28 ( shooting from the field) for this team is a pretty good job for us." ON DAVID WEST'S GAME TONIGHT: "Yeah, I feel like he's just more comfortable. He knows how to play, a perfect veteran. He just knows what to do and he knows when he needs to turn it up for us in that second unit, and score the ball and make plays. So, he has these games you know, 5-for-6, 10 points, knocking down the J. Just his presence, it definitely just calms us down in that second unit, and just calms us down as a team overall." ON KEYS TO A SMOOTH TRANSITION WITH NEW PLAYERS: "Well, just the confidence that they have. I just think the encouragement that everybody gives those guys. We're just filled with encouragement. When we walk into the door at the practice facility, every game the coaches are always telling us what we need to do better but also, letting us know what we do really good. So, those guys came in and gave us a huge spark. Omri (Casspi) started for us and almost (had a double-double) I took one rebound from him. He could have had a double-double, but 11 (points), nine (rebounds), three (assists), you know he just knows how to play, and Nick (Young) gave us a huge spark when we needed it scoring coming off the bench. And JB (Jordan Bell) man, he just plays like a vet, coming in, and just doing his job, playing extremely hard. That chase down block (he had) after the turnover was spectacular, and that play right there kind of got us going. We are going to need that in the future if we want to continue to keep winning. Especially with Steph (Curry) and Draymond (Green) out, we're going to need everybody to step up and I think we did it as a group today."
WARRIORS GUARD KLAY THOMPSON ON JORDAN BELL MAKING AN IMPACT: “His energy. His ability to play all over the floor. You saw tonight with the steal and the fast break he had. His ability to protect the rim. But definitely his energy I’m impressed with the most. The guy doesn’t seem like he gets very tired. He’s one of the best leapers I’ve ever seen and he has amazing timing. I knew we drafted a guy that was ready to play. He spent, I think three years in college and has and NBA body and is great athlete. He just keeps it simple and that’s why he’s so good.” ON THE KEY FOR ALL THE NEWCOMERS PLAYING WELL: “Well they’re all great pros. They come to work every day and put in great effort. Omri (Casspi) has been great for us. Oh wow, I didn’t even know he almost had a double-double tonight. His ability to cut and play off the ball is incredible. He just always seems like he makes the right play. Same with Nick (Young). Nick is the microwave off the bench and gets hot with the best of them. He’s done it against us plenty of times. You saw tonight. Unfortunately, he got hurt before he was about to go for at least 20 tonight with four or five threes.” ON DAVID WEST: “Not only this season, but he’s brought it since he’s stepped foot in this gym, just a sense of professionalism and a hunger to win. He’s a great teammate who’s extremely tough. You never really enjoyed playing against him, but now to have him on our side is awesome. I think he’s 37, 36, to be as old as he is, it’s unbelievable how well he moves. You saw him tonight he’s still getting up, dunking on people. His midrange jumper is automatic. David West has been tremendous. He was an all-star in this league not too long ago. He is just a phenomenal player.” ON PORTLAND’S BACKCOURT: “Yeah, they’re very good at scoring the ball. They get hot quick. They have great one-on-one moves and if you’re not ready to play they can go for 40 any given night. Damian (Lillard) almost had that tonight. You have to realize they’re going to make shots; you just can’t get deflated because it’s a long game. It’s 48 minutes for a reason.”
WARRIORS FORWARD DAVID WEST ON HIS MENTAL GAME: "Yeah, just thinking my way through bit by bit, know when I'm going to play, know the window for when I'm going to be on the floor. So, just trying to figure out what's going on and how to be effective when I'm out there, and just make plays when they need to be made." ON WHAT HE PLAYS FOR: "Just to compete. I like competing. I like the challenge of mixing it up with some of these younger guys. A lot of these kids I've seen you know in the AAU circuit. I've known a lot of them since they were like 10 or whatever. So, it's really interesting. Just every single night there's a kid or two that I've seen so articulate in the process. And in the NBA it's a challenge dealing with all the things. Just my competitiveness, I want to continue to compete. Obviously, we have a better chance to try to repeat. It's in the back of my mind in terms of just making sure we're feeling good. Personally I just want to be effective when I'm out there." ON HOW HIS DUNKS FEEL IN-GAME: "It feels good man. We practice that. You know, Ron (Adams) makes me dunk every single day, catch lobs. So, in the game it's still there. If there's an opportunity to go up I will." ON HIS GAME THIS YEAR COMPARED TO LAST YEAR: "I'm just more comfortable and I just know what we're trying to do, what we're trying to get out of it. The group has changed a little bit in terms of just personnel but it's just being comfortable, knowing my role and just having a good time when I'm out there."
WARRIORS FORWARD JORDAN BELL ON DAVID WEST: “He’s been a really good mentor this season. I mean, everybody has been really, helping me out with how to learn the NBA game.” ON HIS GROWTH: “I think at first I wasn’t being aggressive on defense. I was kind of playing by letting them decide what they wanted to do and trying to play off it. I started learning, like Draymond (Green), how to dictate what they do and only giving them what I give them. Defensively trying to just push it up. I know I’m quick enough and fast enough to be covered if they try to drive, try to block shots, things like that. Just trying to take the three-point away and be aggressive on defense.” ON WHAT CHANGED IN THE FOURTH QUARTER: “I think we just picked it up. We started going away from what got us the lead at first. Kind of stagnant. Coach just put some different people in. Then we understood that they were really trying to win this game. They had the starters in at the end of the game. We just went in and started playing hard defense. Limited them to one shot because they were getting opposite rebounds during that little spurt.” ON GETTING MORE MINUTES AND STARTING: “I think it’s been helping me out a lot with confidence. Coach is starting me my rookie year in front of other people on the team who can easily start and be successful. So, it’s given me a lot of confidence. It’s also helping me understand what kind of players we have, at spots on the floor to try to be successful.” ON THE SMALL THINGS HE WORKED ON: “Screen and roll. That’s one of the big things with the scorers we have out here. That’s going to put me in the position to make the right pass out of the pick-and-roll. So, I’ve been working on that. Ball handling, going into the handoffs with KD (Kevin Durant) a lot. We’ve been successful with that. Then just boxing out, just playing hard, things like that.”
TRAIL BLAZERS GUARD DAMIAN LILLARD ON TONIGHT’S GAME: “I think, like you said, we fought hard. We got in a position where we could strike and we could win the game but I think when you put yourself in a hole and you’ve got to work so hard to dig out of it, with a team that runs the way they do, has many shooters and they play great offense like they do, you’re not giving yourself a great chance. I think once we cut it to eight it was only a matter of time before somebody hit a shot and we just can’t dig ourselves a hole like that.” ON WHAT CONTRIBUTED TO THE HOLE: “We’ve just got to be consistent. I think we had a lot of things we covered at shootaround with, how we wanted to cover certain guys. Communication in certain situations just wasn’t at the level it needed to be at when you’re playing a team that scatters in transition, is looking for those guys shooting threes and all the cuts and the screens they set for each other. When you have that type of action, communication has to be top of the line to handle all those things. I think we had moments where we did a really good job of it but when we got in that hole it was like, they made a couple tough shots but they get in that type of rhythm by allowing them to get a slip to the basket, layup. Miscommunication, and the guy popped back out and got a good look at a three. It was not nearly as consistent as we needed it to be to win this game.” ON THE SECOND HALF: “I mean we just made a run for it. I think at the end of the third it was an 18 point lead and it made no sense to come out of the game not saying that, if I’m not in the game we can’t poke away at the lead but it made no sense to leave it to chance where it could go from 18 to 24 after a couple possessions. I didn’t even have to say anything. I think we were both thinking the same thing, let’s just go for it.”
TRAIL BLAZERS GUARD CJ MCCOLLUM ON HOW HE FEELS ON HIS GAME: “I feel alright, even when I wasn’t shooting right I felt alright. The ball just wasn’t going in. I was getting the same looks, arranged pull-ups, catching, shooting threes, but still not hitting threes the way I would like to but overall I think it’s just more about the effort, understanding the defensive concepts, play calls and trying to be aggressive, trying to push the ball in transition.” ON WHERE THE TEAM COULD USE IMPROVEMENT: “We’re going through what is an identity crisis. We have a lot of injuries right now. Guys are playing different roles that are out of rotation so I think once you start winning again the game becomes easier. It becomes more fun.”
Woooooow. No adjustment. This coach is clueless. I know he's answering about the 3, but say you have to attack differently, etc... something. But, like stotts... nothing.
