Portland Trail Blazers interim head coach Tiago Splitter praised his team’s full-court effort after a 127-123 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Friday at Chase Center.
Splitter emphasized the importance of execution down the stretch, noting, “Awesome feeling after losing so many of those games in the last second. Good to see them grinding and getting it done at the end.”
Deni Avdija led the Blazers with 26 points and a career-high 14 assists, including two clutch free throws with 9.8 seconds remaining. “His ability to go downhill…he either scores or finds someone,” Splitter said.
Caleb Love also scored 26 points, with Splitter praising his scoring and defensive effort. “I told him every shot but one was a good shot…also defensively he’s doing a good job,” the coach noted.
Donovan Clingan contributed a career-high 22 points with 10 rebounds, while Toumani Camara added 20 points. Splitter said Camara’s hot shooting and defensive work were pivotal, noting, “Tonight he saw his shots going in…whenever guys playing both sides of the court, it’s really good.”
Sidy Cissoko chipped in 15 points and provided multiple hustle plays, with Splitter lauding his consistency. “Sidy…helped us with a lot of hustle plays…being aware,” Splitter explained, highlighting the value of energy and attention to detail.
Splitter also praised Robert Williams III for his rim protection and leadership despite minutes restrictions. “Just his ability to protect the rim and finish around the rim strong…and being a leader on our defense,” Splitter said.
Portland overcame a second-quarter deficit as Golden State outscored them 44-28 before the Blazers regained control. Key stops and timely scoring allowed Portland to maintain the lead in the fourth quarter, breaking a four-year losing streak in San Francisco.
The win improved Portland to 7-9 overall and 2-1 in NBA Cup play, while Golden State fell to 9-9 and 1-2. Splitter stressed the importance of team effort in close games, saying, “Effort by everyone…little things add up…and found a team of like five guys at the end of the game that could compete.”
Portland will visit the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday, carrying momentum from a well-balanced offensive attack and disciplined defense.
