It might not be the most spry combination in the game, but few two-man games possess the kind of elite shooting that an Al Horford to Steph Curry dribble-handoff does. 

That duo was back in action on Tuesday night as the Warriors took on the Trail Blazers at the Moda Center in Portland in a 118-111 Golden State victory. And when Curry played a two-man game with Horford, the Blazers had no answers for the two-time MVP.

Well, except for fouling on plays that, a year ago, may have gone uncalled. 

Thanks to the new ‘Hi-Five’ rule, which penalizes defenders for swiping at hands following through, and re-emphasizes contact to shooters’ legs, Curry shot nine free throws in the first half, all makes, and ended up with 13 attempts from the foul line overall. 

“On nights like tonight, he leads, and we follow him,” Gary Payton II told media.

Most of those plays were set up by Horford, who ended up with eight points, four rebounds and a couple blocks while setting killer screens. Curry finished the night with 28 points in 27 minutes, and rookie Will Richard scored 13 after earning the start. 

The Warriors did struggle to defend Portland inside, and the Blazers scored 58 points in the paint. But the Warriors’ hot shooting to end the first half – eight makes from behind the arc – helped them fight back from an 18-point first-half deficit.

“I’m proud of the way the guys played, and I felt like we got our feet underneath us in the last few minutes of the first half,” coach Steve Kerr told media. .

The Blazers led the Warriors just 61-56 at halftime, and with a Buddy Hield 3-pointer, the Warriors took a 74-73 lead with 4:30 left as part of a 13-0 Curry-led run. 

Shaedon Sharpe torched the Warriors for the second time this preseason. He scored 16 points, his most impressive basket being a one-on-one drive against Horford in the second quarter. It was a surprisingly physical preseason game, with Jonathan Kuminga tossed from the game right before halftime after arguing that he had been fouled. 

Golden State (3-1) will finish its preseason at Chase Center against the Clippers on Friday, and then the regular season begins on the 21st. 

Kuminga ejected

Jonathan Kuminga was enjoying another strong night before being ejected late in the first half. 

The 23-year-old drove into the paint and threw up a shot through contact from three defenders. When no call was made, the forward got into the referee’s face and was promptly tossed from the game. 

Kuminga finished with seven points, six rebounds and four assists in 18 minutes. 

Draymond Green sat out Tuesday’s game for rest purposes, as he played 22 minutes in Los Angeles on Sunday. Kuminga got the start at power forward, and thus played a modified version of the Green role. 

What was that role? Well, it involves a lot of possessions in the low post. While the 23-year-old did look for cutters, including on a nice dime to Will Richard early in the first quarter and another dime to Quinten Post, he also looked to make his impact as a scorer until his ejection.

Big man rotation

Al Horford was the starter at center, but there was some question as to which of the two 25-year-old backups would get priority in a matchup against a Blazers team with multiple big bodies in the middle. 

Quinten Post and his newfangled floater was the first to check in, Kerr opting to go with the 7-footer who can shoot. Trayce Jackson-Davis, who had over 100 dunks last season and is more a traditional rim-runner, did not enter until the start of the second half. 

Post finished with 15 points and made a trio of 3-pointers, while Jackson-Davis pulled down 10 rebounds.

What’s up with Jimmy Butler, Seth Curry

Jimmy Butler sat out for the third consecutive preseason game, ruled out with an ankle injury that has been bothering him since training camp.

“We’re hopeful he’ll go on Friday,” coach Steve Kerr told media before the game. “He got an MRI, and he’s clean. He stayed in the Bay, and he’s day to day. We’re not concerned.”

Moses Moody was held out with a calf injury. Another perimeter player, Seth Curry, was also unavailable. Steph’s younger brother has yet to make his preseason debut with the team. Seth Curry joined the roster on the second day of training camp.

”He’s ramping up, continuing to ramp up by playing pickup games and 3-on-3 after practice,” Kerr said. “Because he got here late and the nature of everything, I’m trying to see other people. I’m not worried about it, and Seth isn’t worried about it.”

Stotts, Payton return to Oregon

The preseason game in Oregon was a homecoming for a couple members of the Warriors organization. 

Assistant coach Terry Stotts returned the the town where he won 402 games, the second-most in Blazers history. He was seen chatting with Blazers guard Damian Lillard, who was the leader of a 2019 Blazers team that saw Stotts coach Portland to the conference finals. 

Gary Payton II, who scored 11 and hit a buzzer-beating 3-point bank shot to end the third quarter, returned to the state where he went to college. Payton was an All-Pac-12 selection and two-time Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year during his time at Oregon State in 2015 and 2016. 

Originally Published: October 14, 2025 at 9:35 PM PDT