PORTLAND, Ore. — The Portland Trail Blazers would love to see a repeat.
The Golden State Warriors are looking for a different ending.
The teams meet Saturday night at Moda Center, two days after the Trail Blazers’ memorable 110-109 victory over the Warriors at Oracle Arena.
Damian Lillard’s 3-point shot with 5.1 seconds left in overtime proved the game-winner for the Blazers (20-15), who had lost eight straight at Oracle dating to 2013.
Golden State (23-13) nearly won despite poor shooting — .425 from the field, .295 from 3-point range and .400 (6 of 15) from the free-throw line.
The Warriors, who entered the game leading the NBA in foul shooting (.828), missed nine of their first 10 at the line.
“It definitely stings when you leave money out there on the floor,” Golden State forward Kevin Durant said. “It’s unacceptable to miss that many free throws. We’re pretty efficient at the line. I started us off missing two in a row, and I think that got to us.”
The Trail Blazers prevailed despite shooting only .362 from the field and .325 from 3-point range. They were 21 of 23 at the free-throw line and got an outstanding performance from center Jusuf Nurkic, who led the way with 27 points and 12 rebounds.
“I liked the way he finished on the block,” Portland coach Terry Stotts said. “He had a good matchup. It’s disappointing when he drew some double teams and made some nice passes and we missed on some wide-open looks. But to be able to play through him like that was a real advantage for us against their small lineup.”
Golden State tried to defend Nurkic with Kevon Looney or Draymond Green, both 6-foot-9 forwards who are not big enough to guard the 7-foot, 275-pound Nurkic on the block.
The Warriors also had trouble with Seth Curry, Stephen Curry’s younger brother and a backup guard for the Blazers. The younger Curry scored all 11 of his points — including three straight 3’s — in the fourth quarter to keep the Trail Blazers alive.
“That was great,” he said afterward. “First time I’ve ever beaten (Stephen).”
Golden State rallied from a 96-86 deficit with three minutes left in the fourth quarter. Durant knocked down a trey with 19.1 seconds remaining to tie the score at 102.
After a timeout, Lillard lost a handle on the dribble and wound up throwing a wild shot at the buzzer that missed everything, and it was on to overtime.
Green sank a 3 to give the Warriors a 109-107 lead with 46.6 seconds remaining in the extra session. Neither team scored again until Lillard hit a quick-release 3 from the corner with 5.1 seconds left.
After a timeout, the Warriors inbounded to Durant, who missed an open eight-foot jumper as time expired.
“That’s a shot I work on every day,” Durant said. “I’m pissed I missed that.”
Portland is 13-5 at home and Golden State 8-8 on the road, but Warriors coach Steve Kerr said a complete game Saturday could turn the tide.
“(Thursday’s game) was a wild game, a strange game,” Kerr said. “I didn’t think we competed very well in the first half. I loved the way we competed in the second half.
“If we play with that type of intensity and competitiveness for the whole game, then we’re in business. But we have to do it for 48 minutes.”
