The Golden State Warriors provided Gary Payton II with his championship ring before the game, and then gave the rest of the Portland Trail Blazers a knuckle sandwich shortly thereafter. In a game filled with turbulent ups-and-downs, Portland shook off a devastatingly-slow start and provided themselves with a legitimate shot at winning, before running out of gas down the stretch in a 118-112 loss.
Despite a 34-point game from Damian Lillard and strong offensive back-up from Anfernee Simons and Jerami Grant, the Blazers went absolutely ice-cold on both ends of the floor over the final frame, pushing them to an 18-17 record and into the No.