Each holding a 2-2 record coming into the first game of a back-to-back meeting, the Blazers and Warriors met in a battle between two of the most explosive scoring guards in the league.
Ultimately, it was Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum that took the honours, combining for 62 points to carry the Blazers to a 123-98 win.
Dame crosses scoring milestone
The matchup between Lillard and Curry is always must watch, though, it was Lillard who took the honours on this night.
Lillard finished with 34 points on 6-for-10 shooting from deep, adding eight assists in the process.
An amazing accomplishment for our guy @dame_lillard | #RipCity pic.twitter.com/HqS7SaRoyt
— Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) January 2, 2021
Lillard topped a major scoring milestone on the night, topping 15,000 career points on a made triple in the third quarter.
Curry led all scorers for Golden State, finishing with 26 points, eight rebounds and five assists.
Melo finding his groove off the bench
Carmelo Anthony finds himself in a different role with the Blazers this season, after they were ravaged by injuries during the 2019-20 season.
Prior to this season, Anthony had started in all bar 8 of his 1100+ NBA regular season appearances.
This time around, he is being asked to come off the bench from opening night and the veteran has responded by providing consistent offence for the second unit. Averaging 11.3 points per game in 23.3 minutes coming into the night, Anthony produced his best performance of the year agains the Warriors.
Melo ends the 1st half with back-to-back threes! pic.twitter.com/Vwh7iNgyUo
— NBA TV (@NBATV) January 2, 2021
Anthony finished with 18 points on nine shots, passing Tim Duncan for 14th on the All-Time scoring list with a corner three in the fourth quarter.
Carmelo Anthony has just passed Tim Duncan for 14th on the all-time @NBA scoring list! pic.twitter.com/DosfEkwnYQ
— Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) January 2, 2021
CJ's hot start
With all eyes on Lillard and Curry, it was McCollum who came out of the blocks on fire in this one.
McCollum poured in 16 points in the first quarter, on his way to a big night overall.
💦 CJ drops 16 on 6-8 shooting in Q1 on @NBATV! pic.twitter.com/Q41yXU9nQ9
— NBA (@NBA) January 2, 2021
McCollum cooled off slightly for the rest of the night but still tallied 28 points on 11-for-21 from the field.
Wiseman puts the moves on Dame
It's been a rough start for Golden State this season, but a bright spot has been the play of their No. 2 pick, James Wiseman.
Wiseman had just eight points and five boards against the Blazers, but he did flash his impressive ball handling ability for a big man with this behind-the-back move on Lillard.
bro look at wiseman pic.twitter.com/RqLJAwpBiQ
— Logan Murdock (@loganmmurdock) January 2, 2021
Of course, it did end up in an offensive foul but it was still a fun highlight from the rookie.
Wiseman did tweak his ankle during the game, but told reporters he was feeling ok postgame.
Wiseman on his ankle: "It's good. It's not that bad."
— Nick Friedell (@NickFriedell) January 2, 2021
Says Draymond "helped me out a lot" in learning the defense. Wiseman continues to note how much he is picking up from listening to Green's advice -- something that will grow as pair plays together over time.
What's next
The Warriors and Blazers are set to stay in the Bay Area for an off day before meeting again in the second game of this back-to-back.
The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA or its clubs.
