What we learned as De’Anthony Melton’s 23 points spark Warriors’ win vs. Blazers

BOX SCORESAN FRANCISCO – The Warriors reached the halfway point of the season Tuesday night, and rarely have they looked better than they did in Game 41.That their tip-to-buzzer 119-97 victory came over a skeletal version of the Portland Trail Blazers matters not because these Warriors (22-19) have not earned the right to overlook any version of any opponent on their schedule, particularly one they had lost to three times this season.On a night when Stephen Curry, with his father, Dell, in attendance at Chase Center, did not find his shot – 2-of-9 from the field, including 2-of-8 from deep – his teammates provided more than enough cover.De’Anthony Melton, continuing his strong recent play, scored a game-high 23 points, with Jimmy Butler III finishing with 16, Brandon Podziemski had 15 and Moses Moody put in 14, with Draymond Green adding 10.This was one of those rare occasions when Curry and Green were spectators for the entire fourth quarter, and Butler played only 90 seconds in the fourth before joining them on the bench. The fourth “uncle,” Al Horford, played six minutes for the fourth for conditioning.Here are three observations...