The Golden State Warriors will look to make a bright start to their 2024-25 regular season when they visit Portland to face the Trail Blazers at Moda Center on Wednesday.
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Coming off an unbeaten 6-0 preseason record and with every player on the roster available, the Warriors will be confident of a first up victory against a team many believe will be at the bottom of the Western Conference.
The Trail Blazers size could present the Warriors with some issues
While Golden State will enter the game as favorites, Portland will be far from push overs particularly on their home floor. The Trail Blazers were impressive themselves throughout preseason, including a notable 20-point victory in Sacramento where the Kings played their starters for significant minutes.
Portland finished with a 3-1 preseason record, with their only loss coming by two points to the Clippers in Seattle. The Trail Blazers finished with the league's best defensive rating, and were equal-second alongside the Warriors in overall net rating.
This game is set to take on two contrasting styles, and whoever gets the game on their terms will likely emerge the victor. Golden State will be looking to push the pace and take advantage of the significant three-point advantage they have heading into the game.
Despite little impact from superstar guard Stephen Curry, the Warriors ranked eighth in three-point attempts and first in three-point percentage during preseason. In contrast, the Trail Blazers ranked third-last in attempts and 24th in percentage from beyond the arc.
Portland will instead be looking to utilize their size advantage, even if Golden State do go with a bigger than first expected starting lineup of Curry, Andrew Wiggins, Jonathan Kuminga, Draymond Green and Trayce Jackson-Davis.
The Warriors will have no player in their rotation above 6'9", while the Trail Blazers have the talented twin tower pairing of Deandre Ayton and rookie center Donovan Clingan. Ayton went for 25 points and 11 rebounds in the teams' most recent meeting in April, and Clingan is coming off a massive 14-point, 20-rebound, four-block, four-assist performance in the final preseason game against the Utah Jazz.
The size differential could prove the biggest worry for Golden State, particularly if Ayton and Clingan can assert their impact on the interior. It's easy to forget that Portland also has former Boston center Robert Williams III on the roster as well, though the 27-year-old is out for the season opener.
Can Jackson-Davis, with the help of Green, minimize the impact of Ayton and Clingan? If they can, and the Warriors gain a significant advantage from the three-point line, then that should be enough to claim a win on the road to start their season.
