The Golden State Warriors will have their eyes in the second round of the Playoffs when they face Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center on Monday, April 24. They have won the last three matches in the best-of-seven series, and a victory in Game 4 will see them ease them into the next round.
However, they will have to do without their coach Steve Kerr on the sidelines due to illness. He also missed the last game, where Warriors came from behind to win in a close encounter. Once again, Mike Brown will have to fill in and Warriors are in safe hand as he has good experience of being a head coach of Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers, too.
Stephen Curry knows Kerr is undergoing some tough time, and the team have got his back.
"He's obviously going through a lot physically and that's first and foremost for him to take care of himself, make sure he's on the road to recovery and feeling like himself. We've got his back, we've had certain situations all year, previous years, where players are down and you've got the 'next man up' philosophy, same with Coach Kerr," nba.com quoted Kerr as saying.
Besides Kerr, they might also be without Kevin Durant in Game 4. The player also missed the last two games against the Blazers. Shaun Livingston and Matt Barnes could also miss the game. The Golden State Warriors cannot think too much about these players, who will not have any impact on Monday, but they should just concentrate on the task that lies ahead.
Win the match and booking their tickets to the second round will be their objective. With the likes of Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry, they should be able to get past the Blazers. However, taking it easy against their opponents will not be on their agenda as well.
The Trail Blazers, well what can you say about them. They had the game in their bag in Game 3 with 16 points lead in the third quarter, but the Splash brothers did their job in the second half to disappoint the Blazers.
The Blazers need to give it their all in Game 4, and try to win the match and see what happens in their next match. It is a must-win game for the Blazers; else this is going to be their last game of the season too.
Things are not looking too bright for the Blazers as they are going to be without Jusuf Nurkic, who also missed the first two matches. Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum were brilliant in Game 3, and they need to bring their A class game on Monday to have any hope of beating the Warriors.
Where to watch live
Blazers vs Warriors Game 4 is scheduled for 7:30 pm pacific time (8 am IST, 3:30 am BST).
- India: TV:Sony Six and Sony Six HD. Live Streaming:Sonyliv.
- USA: TV:TNT. Live Streaming:TNT Online .
- UK: TV:BT Sport. Live Streaming:Watch BT Sport.
- Australia: TV:ESPN
- Philippines: NBA Premium.
- International:NBA Online.
