It wasn’t going to be easy. The Warriors had lost seven-straight road games and even though they had separate leads of 22 and 11 points in the second half, it took a game-saving defensive play from a rookie to preserve the Warriors’ 118-114 win in Portland on Sunday.

After Stephen Curry made one of two free throws to put the Dubs up 116-114 with 6.0 seconds left, Portland’s Shaedon Sharpe sprinted down the court with the ball and attempted a game-tying layup in the final second. But Brandin Podziemski took the charge to keep the Dubs in front, and the rookie would hit a few free throws moments later to officially put the game, and the Dubs’ road losing streak, on ice.

“That’s just like making a game-winner,” Klay Thompson said of Podziemski’s game-saving defensive stop. “He really won us the game at the end with his focus.”

Thompson led the way with 28 points and Andrew Wiggins was huge off the bench with 26 points, and the Warriors won their second game in as many days to improve to 12-14 on the season.

DUBS PULL IT OUT
Despite a 31-9 Trail Blazers run over an eight-minute stretch that tied the game, the Warriors never trailed. And with the game tied at 93-93 with 8:03 left in the fourth quarter, Stephen Curry re-entered the game and the Dubs immediately went on an 11-0 run. But still, the Trail Blazers wouldn’t go away. And despite big shots from Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins and Chris Paul down the stretch, Portland still had a chance to tie in the final seconds before Podziemski made what was perhaps his best defensive play of the season.

That play was part of another strong all-around effort for the Warriors rookie, who finished with 10 points, five assists and five rebounds. It was his eighth straight game with at least five rebounds, and he entered the game ranked fifth among rookies in rebounding.

DUBS DEPTH ON DISPLAY
Podziemski wasn’t the only rookie to make a big impact for the Warriors. Trayce Jackson-Davis got some extended playing time with Dario Saric in foul trouble, and he took advantage of the opportunity with 14 points, eight rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block in 18 minutes. Jackson-Davis gave the Dubs some much-needed energy and athleticism, and he had five offensive rebounds in the fourth quarter alone, the last of which led to his dunk that capped the Dubs’ go-ahead 11-0 run.

The Warriors’ reserves outscored Portland’s bench 57-29, marking the seventh time this season the Warriors’ bench has scored at least 50 points. Andrew Wiggins led that second unit with 25 points on 9-for-12 shooting. Wiggins attacked the basket throughout the game, and he finished off an alley-oop slam assisted by Stephen Curry in the final minutes of the game. Wiggins’ inside play also opened up his perimeter shooting game, as he knocked down four of his six 3-point attempts.  

THOMPSON SHINES IN PORTLAND, AGAIN
Warriors guard Klay Thompson spent part of his childhood in Portland when his father played for the Trail Blazers, and the Splash Brother appeared to feel right at home. His best shooting percentage of any NBA road arena is in Portland, and he backed that up by making four of his first five shots. He was the first Warrior to reach double figures in scoring, and he finished the game with 28 points on 11-for-16 shooting with five made 3-pointers.

STEPH’S NBA RECORD 3-POINT STREAK SNAPPED
While Thompson had it going for the bulk of the game, Stephen Curry struggled with his shot and saw his NBA record streak of 268 consecutive games with a made 3-pointer come to an end. Curry shot just 2-for-12 from the floor and was 0-for-8 from distance and finished with seven points, his first game with fewer than 10 points this season. Still, Curry found other ways to affect the game, dishing out eight assists and he was a game-high plus-14 in his 31 minutes of game action.

UP NEXT
After playing one of two road games in a home-heavy span of 13 games – the other being Christmas Day at Denver – the Warriors will return to Chase Center to host the Celtics on Tuesday. This will be the first head-to-head matchup between the two teams this season, and the Warriors will be seeking their sixth straight home win against a Celtics squad that has the best record (20-5) in the NBA.