SAN FRANCISCO, Nov 5 — Rookie Eric Paschall scored a season-best 36 points as the Golden State Warriors won for the first time at their new Chase Centre in San Francisco, surprising the Portland Trail Blazers 127-118 last night.
Alec Burks broke a tie with a three-point play with 6:37 remaining, and Paschall extended the lead to eight by hitting his fourth 3-pointer less than 90 seconds later.
The win capped a six-day, four-game homestand on which the Warriors had lost to Phoenix, San Antonio and Charlotte to fall to 0-4 at home.
Portland took just its second loss in five road games.
Neither team led by more than seven points until the final 5:10 of the tightly contested game, a rematch of last season’s Western Conference finals, which the Warriors swept in four games.
After Hassan Whiteside drew the Trail Blazers even at 99-all on a tip-in with 7:01 to play, the Warriors took charge down the stretch after Burks’ go-ahead, three-point play.
Ky Bowman dropped in a short hoop, Paschall bombed in his 3-pointer, Marquese Chriss added a layup and Paschall hit two free throws in a 12-point run that created a 111-99 advantage with 4:03 to play.
Portland got as close as 117-111 with 1:05 left after a pair of Mario Hezonja 3-pointers, but Paschall, the NBA’s leading scorer among 2019 second-round picks, combined with Jordan Poole and Damion Lee to make 10 consecutive free throws to kill the threat.
Paschall shot 11-for-19 from the field and connected on all 10 of his foul shots for the injury-depleted Warriors, who suited up just nine guys and saw all nine score at least five points.
The former Villanova star also had a game-high 13 rebounds.
Bowman finished with 19 points, Poole and Lee 16 apiece, Burks 13 and Willie Cauley-Stein 10 in a balanced Golden State attack.
Damian Lillard, an Oakland native playing his first game in San Francisco, paced the Trail Blazers with 39 points, including five 3-pointers.
Whiteside had 22 points and 11 rebounds for Portland, while CJ McCollum and Anfernee Simons added 14 points each and Hezonja had 11.
The Warriors shot 33-for-36 from the foul line while the visitors were 11-for-14 on free throws. — Reuters
