Even Donovan Klingan can’t contain Stephen Curry’s 3-point shooting
Stephen Curry creates life for his defenders he has been living hell throughout his career. The Golden State Warriors star has unlimited range and an unlimited bag of dribbling tricks to defend one on one. He does it to the best perimeter defenders; those who cannot defend well or move nimbly around the perimeter have no chance against him. That’s exactly what happened to Portland Trail Blazers center Donovan Klingan.
Klingan isn’t the most mobile of big men to begin with, so the Warriors targeted him in screening actions during their Friday night NBA Cup a fight. The Blazers’ center repeatedly switched on Curry, leaving him helpless. On one play, Curry simply took a deep shot off a late layup from Clingan and made a long 3-pointer. And then on the next play, Curry isolated Clingan and made him do a series of dance moves before hitting a three-step back from the Blazers. he had no chance of contesting.
SAME SHOT.
SAME RESULT.Steph Curry turns on Donovan Clingan again and DRILLS the three 🎯pic.twitter.com/Gvvrk0prOG https://t.co/a2kg6DrJh1
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) November 22, 2025
Playing stiff and slow big men is a death sentence against a Warriors team that relishes the dribble. There’s a reason Curry finished with 38 points on nine 3-pointers tonight.
But toward the end, the Blazers adjusted. They brought in Robert Williams III, a more agile big man, to curb screening actions, and as a result, Portland held Golden State at bay, winning 127-123 to snap the Dubs’ start to a tough road trip.
The Blazers discover the Warriors’ main weakness
Over the past few years, the Warriors have never seriously addressed their interior issues. Head coach Steve Kerr likes his big men who can shoot from the perimeter, and that has led to some lapses on the glass. On Friday night, the Blazers had a 20 advantage on the glass and pulled down 12 more offensive boards than the Dubs.
This has long been a problem for the Warriors, and at this point it’s not entirely clear what they can do to fix those problems other than play harder. This loss on Friday marks their ninth of the season in 18 games and their third in a row.
2025-11-22 06:25:00
