The Golden State Warriors defeated Portland Trailblazers in the first two games of the western conference semifinals at home, but lost their first away game of the series. Hence the best-of-seven series is poised at 2-1 in favour of the Warriors, who will be keen to defeat Blazers at the Moda Center on Monday, and take a healthy 3-1 lead.
But the Blazers, after some brilliant display in front of their home fans, securing a 120-108 win, will be upbeat for the game, and will want to draw the series level. Damian Lillard was the best player in the night for the Blazers as he scored 40 points, to help his team emerge victorious. The star player was sensational from beyond the arc, hitting eight 3-pointers as well.
Lillard was aggressive right from the start, which helped Blazers defeat Warriors.
"I did think it was my job to come out and be aggressive from the start (Saturday). A lot of times the team will go as I go. That goes for more than just scoring the ball. That means how focused I am, how accountable I'm holding myself. I just wanted to come out and be aggressive. You don't want to be down 0-3. Period," AP quoted Lillard as saying.
If Lillard comes up with a similar game against Warriors in Game 4 as well, the visitors have to be on their toes to produce a positive result. To make things difficult for Warriors, Stephen Curry is still doubtful for Game 4. Curry has not featured in a single game against the Blazers in the series so far as he is recovering from an ankle injury.
However, they have great depth in their squad, and coach Steve Kerr believes he has to play players as per the situation.
"We have to read what's going on and play different people based on what we see and what we need, but that's all right. We've got a lot of players who can play and they've been ready to perform all year," Kerr said.
However, the Warriors will primarily depend on their two other stars Draymond Green and Klay Thompson, who have both been putting up some good show in the semifinals. Green and Thompson scored 37 and 35 points respectively in their last game, but other players in the team also need to stand up and be counted in Game 4 against Blazers.
A victory for Warriors will allow them to close out the series in Game 5 in front of their home fans.
Watch NBA Playoffs live
Portland Trail Blazers vs Golden State Warriors NBA playoff Game 4 is scheduled for 10:30 p.m. ET (8 a.m. IST, 3.30 a.m. BST) start. Indian viewers can watch it live on Sony Six/HD, with live streaming on Sonyliv.
Viewers in the US can watch the Portland Trail Blazers vs Golden State Warriors NBA playoff Game 4 live on TNT, with live streaming on TNT Overtime.
BT Sport will provide live coverage of the NBA playoffs game in the UK, while the game can also be live streamed on Watch BT Sport.
NBA fans can also watch the Portland Trail Blazers vs Golden State Warriors NBA playoff Game 4 live on NBA.com.
