Warriors 111 - 106 Trailblazers

A second helping of Morrow and our first quality win.

We needed this one.

With narrow misses against expected playoff teams such as New Orleans, and Toronto, the Warriors needed to show the world they can beat a good team. Not a great team, but a good one.

Despite Oden's breakout game (it was bound to happen sometime) and Biedrins' missing his 18th consecutive double-double by 1 rebound, Anthony Morrow managed to step up and carry the team on his fragile, undrafted shoulders.

When Belinelli dropped 37 points in his preseason opener we thought we might have something special. Then his numbers started dropping dramatically as his competition level rose, and now Belinelli rides the bench most nights, keeping Marcus Williams and Rob Kurz company. When Morrow exploded for 37 against the Clippers Saturday night, a similar thought crossed my mind - fluke.

Thinking about it further, though, I'm not so sure it was a fluke. Belinelli blew up in the preseason against preseason opponents. Morrow managed his career night against "top" competition. In fact, Morrow spent much of his 37 point night lighting up former Warriors favorite Baron Davis - not known for his stellar defense, but definitely a star-caliber player.

Other notes on the game:

1. Jackson came up big. His 10 points in the 4th quarter alone were of the utmost importance in keeping this team afloat against a Portland team that wouldn't quit.

2. The Biedrins oddity continues. Biedrins had his worst game of the year (17 and 10, still pretty darn good) and the Warriors came away with their biggest win so far.

3. Interior defense. LaMarcus Aldridge scored only 4 points in 20 minutes - something you can thank Corey Maggette for. Aldridge fouled out after Maggette managed to draw THREE offensive fouls against the big man.

4. Scrappy play wins games. Like in most games so far this season, the Warriors struggled down the stretch. Tonight they got some scrappy play from Buike and Jackson to keep them in the game including a couple blocked Greg Oden shots and some gritty offensive boards.