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Warriors-Trail Blazers Preview

Jan 8, 2016 - 5:05 AM The Portland Trail Blazers are back at full strength following an embarrassing blunder that cost them their second-leading scorer last time out.

They'll need all hands on deck for a chance to take down the potent Golden State Warriors, who'll have their best player in the lineup as they resume their road trip Friday night.

Portland (15-23) was unintentionally short-handed for Wednesday's game with the Los Angeles Clippers after C.J. McCollum was inadvertently left off the pregame active sheet submitted to the officials. With the standout guard ineligible, the Trail Blazers couldn't keep up with one of the league's hottest teams in a 109-98 loss that opened a five-game homestand.

Coach Terry Stotts took responsibility for the snafu afterward.

''I signed the paper without really noticing it, but it's my fault for not looking at it," he said. "Although we caught the error, we thought we'd caught it in time, apparently we did not, so C.J. was ruled inactive, and that's that.''

McCollum, averaging a career-high 21.0 points per game this season and 27.4 over his last five, will be available when Portland takes on a Warriors team that tops the NBA at 113.7 points per game.

Golden State (33-2) has remained hard to stop even with Stephen Curry dealing with a nagging left leg bruise that sidelined the reigning league MVP for two games and limited him for another last week. He still managed 30 points in Monday's 111-101 victory over Charlotte and was able to rest the entire fourth quarter during Tuesday's 109-88 rout of the Los Angeles Lakers, the Warriors' fourth consecutive win.

''Long-term, it's not something I have to worry about. It's just playing through an injury that's there," he said. "It doesn't get worse if I play on it unless I get kicked, and it's happened three times since I did it.

"It is what it is, and we'll just keep treating it and keep playing."

The Warriors have withstood Curry's injury behind big performances from Draymond Green and Klay Thompson, who's averaging 32.5 points over a four-game stretch and had 36 while going 6 of 13 from 3-point range against the Lakers.

"I was just getting open shots running the break, running off screens, and just having no hesitation about it, just letting it fly," Thompson said.

Green had recorded three consecutive triple-doubles prior to Tuesday's win. The versatile forward is averaging 18.3 points, 11.5 rebounds and 8.1 assists through his last 12 games.

Curry and Thompson comprise the NBA's highest scoring starting backcourt at 50.2 points per game, five more than Portland's duo of McCollum and Damian Lillard. Lillard had 20 points Wednesday in his second game back after missing seven with plantar fasciitis, but he's shot just 28.2 percent since returning.

Curry averaged 33.0 points and went 14 of 27 on 3-pointers as the Warriors won all three meetings with Portland last season. He had 33 and 10 assists as Golden State survived Lillard's 29 points in a 122-108 victory at the Moda Center on March 24.

The Warriors have won four of five in Portland and eight of the last 10 matchups overall.