----- After losing their head coach on Thursday morning, the Trail Blazers responded with a double-digit victory over the Golden State Warriors Friday night at Moda Center.
It's been a crazy start to the 2025-26 NBA season for the Portland Trail Blazers. Just hours after their opening-night loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, their Head Coach Chauncey Billups was arrested in connection with a wide-ranging investigation into illegal sports gambling and rigged poker games by federal authorities.
Assistant coach Tiago Splitter was named acting head coach Thursday with a game against the Warriors scheduled for Friday. In the face of adversity, the Trail Blazers responded with a dominant 139-119 victory over the Golden State Warriors.
Deni Avdija led Portland (1-1) with 26 points and 6 assists, Jerami Grant added 22, and Toumani Camara finished with 19 points and 7 rebounds.
Steph Curry led Golden State (2-1) with a game-high 35 points. He connected on 7-of-14 from three-point range.
The Trail Blazers used an 18-5 run at the end of the first half to take a 69-56 halftime lead. The Trail Blazers led by 12 at the end of the third and took control of the game with a 16-7 run to open the fourth.
Portland connected on 53% of their shots and dished out 30 assists on 50 made field goals. Portland outscored Golden State in the paint 66-30.
Up Next- The Trail Blazers travel to Los Angeles to meet the Clippers on Sunday evening. The game is scheduled to tip off at 6:00 PM.
Chad's Take- In the face of adversity, the Trail Blazers provided a strong answer. Great team win!