SAN FRANCISCO– While the Golden State Warriors' bench mob put together a 51-point fourth quarter to take the preseason win over the Portland Trail Blazers, the late-game comeback overshadowed the fact that the main rotation did not impress in the first half. With the players expected to contribute meaningful minutes in full swing, the Warriors fell behind 73-57 at halftime in a disjointed, disconnected effort.

After the game, when asked about Al Horford in the starting lineup, Steve Kerr admitted the Dubs weren't ready to open the game against a Trail Blazers team that came out hot to start.

“I didn't think we were ready to play, so I don't know if we got a good enough look at that lineup,” Kerr said when asked about how he evaluates starting Al Horford next to Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Jimmy Butler.

“It should fit with Al's shooting. We got a lot of length with Moses [Moody]. But they took it to us right away. 39 points in the first quarter, we were careless with the ball, so it wasn't a good effort by our team till the second half.”

The Blazers' length and speed overwhelmed Golden State throughout the first half. Portland's Shaedon Sharpe, who's in a contract year, finished with 22 points on 9-of-15 from the field and four made threes. Toumani Camara and Deni Avdija each added in a highly efficient 14 point performance each, as the Warriors' defense could not string together stops.

“I just didn't think we had as much energy as they did,” Kerr said. “It's a good tape to show. Can't turn it over 11 times, and a lot of them careless, and a lack of spacing. We'll show them the clips tomorrow and get back at it.

The bench mob's 51-point fourth quarter

However, the Warriors' bench players salvaged an otherwise lackluster night with a big second-half comeback. Led by LJ Cryer, the Dubs' undrafted guard who helped Houston to the 2025 NCAA Championship game, Golden State erased a 21-point Blazers to win the game 129-123.

Article Continues Below

Cryer finished with 14 points and two huge baskets down the stretch. After the game, Cryer talked about that moment and making the most out of the opportunity.

“That group at the end, we [were] sitting there, so we had a lot of energy. We had to take advantage of the moment,” Cryer said. “I'm all about winning; I've won everywhere I've been, so at this level, I want to continue to make that what I'm about. I know it's preseason, but I'm treating it like it's a real game because you get limited opportunities. Gotta take advantage of it.”

Additionally, Quintin Post added 15 fourth-quarter points playing pick and pop. But rookie Will Richard, who's received rave reviews from his teammates and coaching staff, was also important in the preseason comeback. After the game, Richard talked about his mentality in his first-ever preseason.

“Just wanting to learn as much as possible,” Richard said. “Because I definitely don't know everything when it comes to basketball. I'm in a perfect situation. Got a great group of vets who've been through everything in basketball. And for me, I want to ask them as many questions as possible because I know they've been through it, and I know it's going to help my career.”

Cryer and Richard are on the outside looking in in terms of getting real minutes with Golden State this season. But their efforts in the Dubs' 51-point fourth quarter show they may be able to carve out a real opportunity sometime this year.