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Warriors vs. Trail Blazers player grades: Jimmy Butler III nabs a triple-double as Gary Payton II shines

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Assessing every Golden State player’s performance from the team’s 130-120 win over Portland.

The Golden State Warriors continued their winning ways on Monday, fighting off a pesky Portland Trail Blazers team to win 130-120, giving them their second five-game winning streak in the short Jimmy Butler III era. It might not have been the prettiest win, but it was full of impressive performances.

Now it’s time to grade those performances. As always, grades are based on my expectations for each player, with a “B” grade representing the average performance for that player.

Note: True-shooting percentage (TS) is a scoring efficiency metric that accounts for threes and free throws. Entering Monday’s games, league-average TS was 57.5%.

35 minutes, 15 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists, 3 steals, 1 turnover, 4-for-10 shooting, 7-for-8 free throws, 55.5% TS, +1

Imagine if I told you when the season started that the Warriors first triple-double of the year would be accomplished by Butler. You just never know what you’re going to get in the NBA!

It was a quiet triple-double, and I don’t mean that as a negative. Butler is the rare star who is more than happy to be the second or third fiddle. He always makes his impact, even when it’s not flashy, and this game was a shining example.

Grade: A
Post-game bonus: Led the team in rebounds and assists.

28 minutes, 4 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists, 4 steals, 3 turnovers, 1 foul, 1-for-3 shooting, 1-for-2 threes, 1-for-2 free throws, 51.5% TS, +4

Not the cleanest game for Dray. He had a few rough turnovers, and didn’t score until the second half. And while he had a fine game defensively, it always reflects on him a little bit when the team gives up 120 points. Still and all, his quarterbacking was important in this game, and he did a whole bunch of little things that helped the team get the win.

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Grade: B-

25 minutes, 11 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 3 blocks, 1 turnover, 5 fouls, 4-for-10 shooting, 3-for-5 threes, 55.0% TS, -2

Post was an absolute star in the first quarter. He had a few big threes early after the Warriors fell behind 7-0, and was controlling the paint with blocked shots and rebounds. He still hasn’t quite figured out how to score inside the arc, though he certainly has all the skills to suggest that it’s only a matter of time.

His shooting is a game-changer for the Warriors, and it’s cleared they’re enamored with his toughness and competitive drive. As am I, for that matter.

Grade: A-
Post-game bonus: Tied for the worst plus/minus on the team.

30 minutes, 20 points, 2 rebounds, 1 steal, 7-for-10 shooting, 2-for-5 threes, 4-for-4 free throws, 85.0% TS, -2

My goodness what a performance from Moody. Sure, some more rebounds or some assists would be nice. But 30 minutes in a fast-paced game without a turnover or a foul, while pouring in 20 points on extreme efficiency? I think it’s safe to say that Moody has fully arrived.

Grade: A
Post-game bonus: Tied for the worst plus/minus on the team.

34 minutes, 24 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 4 turnovers, 6-for-14 shooting, 5-for-11 threes, 7-for-7 free throws, 70.3% TS, +6

Curry was an absolute wizard scoring. He fluctuated between being able to get anything he wanted, and making impossible shots. He picked his spots, letting his teammates score, and then dropping in a clutch bucket whenever the team needed it.

He struggled with other areas of the game. It wasn’t a good defensive game for the chef, and he had more turnovers than assists. But he was the biggest reason they scored 130 points, and that counts for a whole lot.

Grade: B+

25 minutes, 20 points, 2 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 3 turnovers, 2 fouls, 7-for-10 shooting, 6-for-9 threes, 100.0% TS, +16

And this is why the Warriors signed Hield. Sure, he’s got plenty of stinkers and clankers, but he always has the potential of popping off and carrying the team to victory. It was clear from pretty much the moment Hield checked in that he was feeling it, and he did not disappoint. It felt like all of his shots were momentum-shifters, and the assists allow you to forgive the turnovers. Excellent stuff.

Grade: A+
Post-game bonus: Best plus/minus on the team.

28 minutes, 26 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block, 1 turnover, 2 fouls, 11-for-16 shooting, 4-for-6 threes, 81.3% TS, +14

It wasn’t until Payton’s 20th game this year that he hit double figures. And through January 15 — the team’s 40th game, and Payton’s 29th — he’d still done it just once, topping out at 11. Now he’s scored 14 or more points in four of the last seven games, and he’s doing so on ridiculous efficiency.

He was a marksman in this game, and also just repeatedly beat defenders to the rim, in the halfcourt and in transition, with or without the ball. I’ve long felt that Payton had some underrated offensive skills, and it’s fun seeing them come to life.

Grade: A+
Post-game bonus: Led the team in points.

20 minutes, 6 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 turnover, 1 foul, 3-for-6 shooting, 50.0% TS, +6

Hield and Payton stole the show, but Looney quietly had a superb game off the bench. He was a big part of why the Warriors were competitive on the glass, and had some awesome defensive plays, all while continuing to show off his playmaking. He’s just having trouble scoring this year, but other than that, a great game.

Grade: B+

15 minutes, 4 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 turnovers, 5 fouls, 2-for-6 shooting, 0-for-3 threes, 33.3% TS, +7

Santos is the player who figures to lose the most playing time when Jonathan Kuminga returns. And when you watch him play games like the one he played Monday, you can both see just how much of an improvement the Warriors will get when Kuminga returns, and why Steve Kerr has openly said that they need to keep Santos in the rotation even with Kuminga’s return.

He just makes winning plays, even though he also has some games where he struggles to score, and gets sloppy with turnovers and fouls.

Grade: C

Monday’s DNP-CDs: Taran Armstrong, Trayce Jackson-Davis, Braxton Key, Kevin Knox II, Pat Spencer

Monday’s inactives: Jonathan Kuminga, Brandin Podziemski, Jackson Rowe

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Jimmy Butler III

Draymond Green

Quinten Post

Moses Moody

Steph Curry

Gary Payton II

Kevon Looney

Gui Santos

On a night where everybody waited to see if Curry would make his 4,000th career 3-pointer, Payton stole the show from downtown. Whenever he makes a single three, it’s an added bonus. If Payton is draining multiple shots from behind the 3-point line, it’s almost a guarantee the Warriors are cooking offensively.

Payton in the first quarter scored seven points off the bench, with the lefty making his lone 3-point attempt, cashing in from the right corner. The second quarter, where the Warriors outscored the Blazers 33-22, is when Payton really began to heat up.

He took four threes and was successful on three of them, doing so from the left corner, right corner and the top of the arc. His four threes in the first half matched a career high for an entire game, and Payton’s 16 points going into halftime tied his season high for a game.

Payton’s first 3-point of the second half attempt looked right on track, only for it to rattle out. But on the Warriors’ next possession, a layup gave Payton a season-high 18 points. Another eight points in the fourth quarter brought Payton to his career high.

A battle between rookie starting centers featured the No. 7 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft and one taken 45 picks later at No. 52 overall. Quinten Post, the Warriors’ second-round gem, quickly found out why Donovan Clingan was such a hot commodity coming into the draft.

Clingan on the Warriors’ opening possession blocked Post’s attempt at a hook shot, only to swat him again around the rim a little over one minute later. But Post then showed off his main skill the next time the Warriors had the ball, burying a 3-pointer.

Their styles are complete opposites. Yet, both refuse to be punked. The two even got tangled up within the first two minutes of the second quarter, and Post showed he can do what Clingan does best, too. In his first 10 minutes of play, Post already was up to a career-high three blocked shots.

Post showed some frustrations with his faults and was a minus-2 in 25 minutes, scoring 11 points, as well as seven rebounds and four blocked shots. Clingan also blocked four shots but was a plus-4 in 32 minutes with 15 points, nine rebounds and six assists.

No player has brought Warriors fans more frustration this season than Hield. When he’s hot, the Warriors are a problem for any team in the NBA. When he’s off … he’s way off.

There were few reasons, if any, to complain about Hield’s performance against Portland.

His 3-point shot was money, making six of his nine attempts, which gave Hield his most threes in a game since Dec. 8. Hield also provided much more than the long ball. He dished out a season-high seven assists, plus had two rebounds, two steals and one block. Hield was a plus-16 in 25 minutes off the bench, giving him one of his best overall games of the season. While the Blazers scored a total of 23 points off the bench, Hield and Payton alone combined for 46.

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GP … 3

Clash Of Rookie Centers

Buddy Balls Out

Stephen Curry scores 24, Jimmy Butler gets triple-double, Warriors beat Blazers for 5th straight win

SAN FRANCISCO — — Stephen Curry scored 24 points and moved within two 3-pointers of becoming the first player in NBA history with 4,000, Jimmy Butler had a triple-double, and the surging Golden State Warriors won their fifth straight game by beating the Portland Trail Blazers 130-120 on Monday night.

Curry, who became the 26th player in NBA history to score 25,000 points during Saturday’s win against Detroit, needed seven 3s to reach the milestone. He made his first two early then another three in the third.

Butler contributed 15 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds for the Warriors’ first triple-double this season. Golden State improved to 12-2 since Butler made his debut Feb. 8 and 12-1 in games he played.

Gary Payton II scored a career-high 26 points in the Warriors’ 10th win in their last 11 games.

Deni Avdija returned from a two-game absence with a leg injury to record season-bests of 34 points, 16 rebounds and six assists in the Blazers’ fourth straight defeat. He’s the first Blazer since Clyde Drexler on March 20, 1990, with that stat line.

Anfernee Simons added 32 points as Portland completed a back-to-back following a 119-112 home loss to the Pistons on Sunday.

Takeaways

Trail Blazers: Jerami Grant was sidelined for another game because of his troublesome right knee.

Warriors: Brandin Podziemski missed a second straight game with low back soreness that forced him out late in the first quarter at Brooklyn on March 6.

Key moment

Butler pulled down an offensive rebound with 3:33 remaining to give him his 18th career triple-double in the regular season and 21st overall.

Key stat

Golden State shot 51.2% from 3-point range, with Buddy Hield knocking down six 3s, Payton with four and three for 7-foot big man Quinten Post.

Up next

The Blazers return home to face the Knicks on Wednesday, while the Warriors host their Northern California rival Sacramento Kings on Thursday to continue a seven-game homestand.

——

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA

Portland Trail Blazers

Golden State Warriors

Minnesota faces Denver, seeks 4th straight road win

Cleveland puts home win streak on the line against Brooklyn

Philadelphia plays Toronto on 7-game road skid

Regular Season Series

Game Information

2024-25 Northwest Standings

2024-25 Pacific Standings

NBA News

GS leads 2-0

	1	2	3	4	T
POR	27	22	43	28	120
GS	35	33	34	28	130

Team	W	L	PCT	GB	STRK
Oklahoma City	53	12	.815	–	L1
Denver	42	23	.646	11	W1
Minnesota	37	29	.561	16.5	W5
Portland	28	38	.424	25.5	L4
Utah	15	50	.231	38	L6

Team	W	L	PCT	GB	STRK
LA Lakers	40	23	.635	–	L2
Golden State	37	28	.569	4	W5
LA Clippers	35	29	.547	5.5	W3
Sacramento	33	31	.516	7.5	L2
Phoenix	30	35	.462	11	L1