Takeaways from Warriors' Win Over Blazers: Case for Avdija's All-Star Bid Strengthens

The Golden State Warriors (22-19) blew out the Portland Trail Blazers (19-22) 119-97 on Tuesday at Chase Center.

De'Anthony Melton led all scorers with 23 points, while Stephen Curry struggled with his shot (2-of-9) but had a season-high 11 assists.

Here are three takeaways from Tuesday's game.

Portland's Blowout Loss Shows Why Avdija Should Be an All-Star

Deni Avdija missed his first game of the season Tuesday, and the Blazers couldn't function with him.

They had just 19 assists and 22 turnovers,

The Western Conference All-Star locks are likely Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luka Doncic, Stephen Curry, Victor Wembanyama, Nikola Jokic (if healthy), Anthony Edwards, Chet Holmgren and Kevin Durant.

That leaves four spots, and one would think Devin Booker and Alperen Sengun will get two of those.

For the last two spots, it's probably a battle between Jamal Murray, Kawhi Leonard and Avdija.

Avdija is averaging 26.1 points, 7.1 rebounds and 6.9 assists, and the Blazers are much more competitive than expected. It turns out missing a game or two might be what solidifies his value.

Melton Is Warriors' Third-Best Offensive Player

This is a) a compliment to Melton and b) and insult to the Warriors roster.

Melton had 23 points on 9-of-14 shooting and 4-of-6 from three. He has more driving ability than advertised, as he had multiple driving finishes with his left hand.

His offensive impact has been outrageous even though he hasn't shot the ball that well this season. Entering Tuesday, the Warriors were 14.5 points per 100 possessions better on offense with Melton on the floor, per Cleaning the Glass.

Frankly, no Warrior other than Curry and Jimmy Butler can handle the ball and get to the basket like Melton.

The reason it's an insult to the Warriors roster is Melton is averaging 9.1 points and 2.7 assists for his career. On no other NBA team has he been the third-best offensive player.

Although it wasn't obvious on Tuesday, the Warriors need to trade for a legitimate third scorer.

Santos Should Have Been Playing More All Along

Gui Santos had another great game on Tuesday, finishing with six points, six assists, four rebounds and four steals in 21 minutes. He was a game-high plus-24.

I'm sure Steve Kerr would admit that Santos should have been playing more earlier in the season.

Through November, Santos had played just 110 minutes. In the last month-and-a-half, he's played 257 minutes, and the results speak for themselves.

Santos is now a cumulative plus-98 since the beginning of December.

At 6'7", Santos has the size to guard 4s. When he's on the court, the Warriors are never playing four-guard lineups, and not surprisingly, avoiding four-guard lineups makes them a better team.