PORTLAND – The Warriors and Trail Blazers on Sunday night provided 53 minutes of spellbinding basketball, an instant classic rich with playoff-level intensity as well as postseason ramifications.
The Warriors, despite a herculean effort by point guard Stephen Curry, walked off the court at Moda Center with a 119-117 overtime loss to Portland in a game that left players and fans equally drained.
Curry finished with 47 points, making 16 of 29 shots. He scored 17 points in the fourth quarter and often represented a one-man offense during those crucial minutes of regulation.
The loss means the Warriors (49-31), barring a complete collapse, almost certainly will finish with the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference playoffs. The Blazers (53-28) will finish no lower than fifth.
The Warriors got 25 points from shooting guard Klay Thompson and 15 from small forward Andre Iguodala. No other Warrior scored more than eight (Harrison Barnes).
The game was in doubt until the very end, when Iguodala missed a wide-open 3-point attempt with two seconds left in OT.
LaMarcus Aldridge, who blocked a Curry layup at the end of regulation, put Portland ahead for good when he hit a jumper with 39.6 seconds remaining in OT. Aldridge led the Blazers with 26 points.
STANDOUT PERFORMER: It was, for the most part, Curry and and Curry and more Curry. When none of his teammates could make a shot, he did. If one made a shot, he often played a role.
Draymond Green's game-tying 3-point shot with 3.6 seconds left in regulation came off a pass from Curry.
On one occasion in overtime, Curry saw his 3-point attempt was going to be short, hustled in for the rebound and stepped back beyond the arc to nail a trey.
Curry in the process pushed his league-leading 3-pointer total to 254, becoming the first player in NBA history to make at least 250 3-pointers in successive seasons.
TURNING POINT: There were no fewer than five turning points, each one followed by a comeback . . . until Aldridge finally provided a lead that could not be surpassed.
INJURY UPDATE: Festus Ezeli (right knee surgery rehab) remains out indefinitely.
Andrew Bogut was unable to play in overtime after suffering an apparent injury to his rib late in regulation.
WHAT'S NEXT: The Warriors left immediately after the game for Oakland, where on Monday night they will face the Timberwolves at Oracle Arena. The teams split two previous games, each winning on the opponent's home court. The Warriors have 13 of the last 16 meetings.
