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Tuesday, Feb. 15 10:30pm ET
Sabonis: 21 points, 16 rebounds | |||||
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 GAME FLOW
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- A midseason break for All-Star festivities didn't sap the Portland Trail Blazers of their strengths. Arvydas Sabonis scored 21 points and the Trail Blazers built on the NBA's best record by starting the season's second half with a 92-83 win over the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night. Scottie Pippen added 17 points and Bonzi Wells and Damon Stoudamire each had 13 for the Trail Blazers, who won their fifth straight and 11th in 12 games despite shooting 36.8 percent from the field, well below its league-high 47.3 conversion rate. The game was played at the Oakland Coliseum Arena, which was the scene over the weekend of the All-Star game. "You always worry about a layoff," Portland coach Mike Dunleavy said. "Everyone is rusty. There were a lot of shots out there that looked like they were good but they weren't being made. That happens when you have that many days off." Sabonis bought the Trail Blazers time to refocus, grabbing 16 rebounds to help Portland convert its chances while also providing scoring from the outside as well from up close. "Sabonis did a great job for us, playing an inside-out game and being on the glass," Dunleavy said. "He stabilized things for us. He scored when we needed him to and he rebounded when we needed him to." Pippen said Portland started slow but picked its game up in the second half, following the lead of Sabonis. "Sabonis gave us a good inside presence," said Pippen. "When he's making shots and able to get pentration, it makes us that much better. We can't take them lightly. We have to go out and play a complete game and when we get chances to put them away, we have to take them. "That's why we're the best in the league, because we play well on the defensive end. It's important to us." Portland (39-11) improved its league-best road record to 21-8 in sending the Warriors to their fourth loss in a row. The Warriors were without their leading scorer, Antawn Jamison, who sat the game out with a sore left knee. They were also hurt by sometimes sloppy play, committing 20 turnovers and making just 16 of 28 free throws. Golden State was led by Donyell Marshall's 23 points and 17 rebounds. John Starks added 15 points and Mookie Blaylock had 13. Marshall said the most important thing for the Warriors is to learn from their mistakes. `We have to make sure we're making progress the rest of the season," he said. "We have to keep moving forward and playing hard and make sure people develop. We could have played better. We made stupid mistakes and we weren't executing but we're learning." Up by eight at the break, the Trail Blazers stretched their advantage to 11 when Pippen opened the third period by twice connecting from 3-point range around three made free throws by the Warriors. Golden State put together an 11-2 burst later in the period, evening the score at 56 on a 3-pointer by Blaylock but trailed 73-69 going into the fourth quarter. The Warriors kept it close for a while but Wells helped the Trail Blazers quash Golden State's comeback bid. After Larry Farmer's putback pulled Golden State back within four, Wells soared up after a missed shot and slammed it through the net, starting a decisive 13-4 burst that carried Portland to a 90-77 lead with 3:35 remaining. Wells and Detlef Schrempf also hit 3-pointers in that span and Greg Anthony had a layup after a fastbreak begun by Jason Caffey's turnover. The Warriors scored the last nine points of the first period, including seven by Marshall, to take a 27-25 lead. A dunk by Caffey late in the second quarter tied it at 35-all but Portland then closed the period with 12-2 run to go up 47-39 at halftime. Sabonis and Rasheed Wallace started the flurry with successive layups and Pippen hit a pair of jumpers from the outside. Game notesGolden State trails Pacific Division-leading Portland by 26 games. ... With four assists, Pippen boosted his career total to 5,002. He's the 31st player in league history to reach the 5,000-assist mark. ... Portland has gone 17-3 this season against sub-.500 teams, including 2-0 against the Warriors ... The teams played the first of a back-to-back home-away set. They meet again Wednesday night in Portland. ... Warriors trainer Tom Abdenour worked his 1,000th game for the team, which he joined in 1987. ... The Warriors had 14 points in the fourth quarter. | ALSO SEE NBA Scoreboard Portland Clubhouse Golden State Clubhouse RECAPS Charlotte 95 Philadelphia 93
Portland 92
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