Ezeli startlingly impacts Warriors’ Game 2 win

The point guard is going to have to come up with something much bigger to match Ezeli's performance in Tuesday's 110-99 in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinal series. "He changed the whole game with his pick-and-roll defense, his presence around the rim and the energy he gave us," Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said. … After sitting out the first 80 minutes of the best-of-seven series, Ezeli emerged from the bench with the Warriors trailing by 10 points and 4:09 on the third-quarter clock. Ezeli averaged 3.8 points and 3.4 rebounds in the postseason's first six games. Ezeli added six rebounds and a blocked shot, and he played great defense on Portland's bevy of pick-and-roll sets. The defensive stops led to more Warriors offense, and Thompson gave the Warriors their first lead (94-93) on a three-pointer with 5:33 remaining. In a game that the Warriors trailed by as many as 17 and faced a double-digit deficit for nearly 19 minutes, Ezeli's pick-and-roll defense flipped the script.