Event of the Day: Portland Trail Blazers versus Golden State Warriors
Our event of the day is Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals in the NBA between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors at the Moda Center. The hosts will be fearing the worst after losing the opening three contests which sees the Warriors go into this pivotal Game 4 needing just one more win to book their spot in next month’s finals. However, Portland have already been on the brink of elimination in this postseason campaign when they found themselves 3-2 down in the second round against Denver. Though tonight’s assignment is considerably tougher, the Trail Blazers will look to that series for inspiration as they go in search of that elusive championship. After finishing third in the Western Conference, Portland were certainly considered contenders to go all the way this time round and they have tried their hardest to live up to that billing. After getting past a brittle Oklahoma City Thunder outfit in the first round, they snuck by Denver winning two straight games when just one loss would have dumped them out of the competition for another year.
However, the cracks have now started to show in this inexperienced Portland outfit, with Golden State intent on capitalising on their vast experience of playoff basketball. Though they lost at the Moda Center last time out, Portland won 32 games on their home court in the regular season and they will lean on the support of their raucous home crowd to prolong their stay in this season’s playoffs. Golden State meanwhile have continued to show their unwavering professionalism so far and have dismantled this very strong Portland outfit. Even without the prolific Kevin Durant in their squad due to injury, they have maintained their fluidity on offence whilst remaining robust and tough to break down in the back court. As many teams have discovered in recent seasons, Steph Curry is almost unplayable when he is in this sort of mood, with the 31-year-old dropping 109 points in the opening three contests against Portland. The three-time NBA champ will hope to tighten his stranglehold over the Trail Blazer defence as he looks to make a fifth straight appearance in the NBA Finals. It should be a thrilling night of basketball in Portland this evening.
Honourable mentions around the globe go to Serie A where Lazio host Bologna at the Stadio Olimpico. With the visitors sitting just three points clear of the drop zone, they will be desperate to avoid being dragged into a relegation battle as the Italian top flight starts to wind down. In the MLB, the Houston Astros will look to extend their winning streak to 11 games as they welcome the Chicago White Sox to Minute Maid Park. Elsewhere, there is County Championship action in the cricket today as Surrey go in search of their first win of the season against Kent. In the Ice Hockey World Championship, Canada will look to keep tabs on the top two in Group A as they take to the rink with Denmark. Finally, there is plenty of action in the tennis to watch out for today as the Nuremberg Cup continues with Kristyna Pliskova’s meeting with home crowd favourite Jule Niemeier.
Whatever you’re watching, enjoy!
Photos by NBA