NBA Playoffs 2019: 3 Talking points from Golden State Warriors vs Portland Trail Blazers

Final Score: Golden State Warriors 110 - 99 Portland Trail Blazers

The Portland Trail Blazers who were down 0-2 in the Western Conference Finals came back to the Moda Center to host the Golden State Warriors for Game 3. The hosts got off to a hot start and entered the halftime with a 13-point lead.

However, much like they have done all season long, the Warriors stormed back in the third quarter and outscored the Blazers 29-13. They would only continue their domination in the fourth quarter and eventually ended up winning the match 110-99.

With this win, they have now gone up 3-0 in this series and have a chance to close this series out on Monday in Portland. Let us take a look at three talking points from the Warriors' road win.

#3 Yet another dismal performance by Damian Lillard

This has already been said multiple time. The Portland Trail Blazers can only go as far as Lillard would take them. He has been the cornerstone of this franchise for quite some time and the ball is going to be in his hands in clutch situations.

He is their hope and for the Blazers to win against a team like the Warriors, they need Lillard to be at his absolute best. Unfortunately, that has not happened so far in this series as the guard has put up a string of dismal performances.

Last night, he only had 19 points on 5-18 shooting and his struggles from the field were quite visible. With his latest dud performance, he is now averaging 20.3 points, 7.3 assists this series on a very low 32.9 shooting.

However, this is what Shams Charania of The Athletic had to say about his recent struggles:

Portland Trail Blazers All-NBA star Damian Lillard has separated ribs and is playing through the injury, league sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium. Lillard shot 5-of-18 in Game 3 loss to Warriors.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 19, 2019

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If Lillard is indeed playing through the injury, expect this series to be over on Monday.

#2 Stephen Curry's fourth straight 30-point game

Stat line: 36 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists on 42.3 % shooting

Stephen Curry has been playing at an elite level all season long and with the exit of Kevin Durant in the season against the Houston Rockets, he has only further taken his game to the next level as he now has four straight 30-point games.

Curry has torched the Blazers in their first two games this series at home. In Game 3, playing on the road, the unanimous MVP erupted for yet another stellar performance as he ended up with 36 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists on 11-for-26 shooting.

He was one of the main reasons why the Warriors were able to complete this 18-point comeback on the road. The baby faced assassin is averaging huge numbers of 36.3 points, 6.7 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game this series.

#1 Draymond Green's big-time triple-double

Draymond Green made his presence felt with his all-around ability last night

Stat line: 20 points, 13 rebounds, 12 assists, 4 steals and a block on 50.0 % shooting

Draymond Green has always been the vocal leader of this team and is the glue that keeps the Golden State Warriors together. The Center is known for his all-around ability to impact the game and even though it doesn't necessarily show up on the stat sheet, there is no doubt that he is one of their most important players.

In Game 3, Draymond took over and had one of his all-time great performances as he scored 20 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists for an impressive triple-double. He was very aggressive and lived in the paint.

Thanks to his aggressiveness, he was able to draw fouls and eventually finished 8-9 from the charity stripe. He showed his presence also on the defensive end and accumulated 4 steals, blocked a shot.