OAKLAND -- The four-game streak is dead, buried under fine 3-point shooting and timely defense.
The Warriors got their first victory in 10 days Friday night, a 125-97 thrashing of the Portland Trail Blazers before a sellout crowd (19,596) at Oracle Arena.
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Kevin Durant had 32 points on 13-of-21 shooting and Klay Thompson had 31 while going 12-of-21. It was their most efficient combined effort since Stephen Curry left the lineup on Nov. 8.
Here are three takeaways from the game:
Credit the return of real defense
Missing for most of their recent slide has been the least publicized element of this franchise’s rise from the ashes: defense. It had been inconsistent, if not downright missing.
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Not so on this night, particularly in the second quarter.
Trailing by five (29-24) with 11:22 left in the half, the Warriors turned up the defense and it paid off with a 22-3 run, resulting a 46-32 lead with 5:40 left in the half. During that stretch, they blocked three shots and forced three turnovers while holding Portland to 1-of-9 shooting from the field.
The Blazers shot 30 percent for the quarter, during which the Warriors outscored them 35-17. It changed the entire complexion of the game.
Moreover, that six-minute stretch reminded the Warriors of the galvanizing effects of high-intensity defense.
The night of the triples
The Warriors were struggling mightily with 3-point shooting. Their last four games were illustrations of futility: 22.2 percent, 27.3 percent, 19.2 percent and 24.1 percent. The spacing was poor, resulting in too many contested shots.
They shot 53.1 percent (17-of-32) from beyond the arc, their third-highest percentage this season. It was the fifth time this season they shot at least 50 percent from deep and the first time since Nov. 5 against Memphis.
Six different players made triples, with Quinn Cook’s 5-of-6 shooting leading the way. Thompson was 4-of-9, Durant 2-of-5, Andre Iguodala 2-of-2, Jonas Jerebko 2-of-4 and Damion Lee 2-of-4.
The 17 3-pointers represent the second-highest total of the season for the Warriors, behind only the Oct. 29 game at Chicago, when they poured in 24 triples, led by Thompson’s record-breaking 14.
Bell dusted off, earns minutes
Jordan Bell entered the game having played a total of 10 minutes over the last three games, producing five points and two rebounds.
He did better than that in one eight-minute slice of the second quarter during which he submitted his most comprehensively positive performance in two weeks: three points, three rebounds, three assists and a steal.
Showing energy at both ends, Bell was active in the paint and a significant contributor to the wicked defense during that quarter. He finished with five points, four rebounds, seven assists, one steal and one block. He was plus-26 in 21 minutes.
Despite the team’s shorthanded state, he was an afterthought. If he contributes as he did in this game, he’ll get back in the rotation.
