Category: Golden State Warriors

Golden State Warriors game 2 wrap: Warriors Take a 2-0 Series Lead Over the Jazz in 111-102 win

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By Barbara Mason

The Golden State Warriors took the court at Oracle Arena Thursday night in search of a game two victory and a 2-0 series lead over the Utah Jazz. Stephen Curry was back in action after taking a day off at practice Wednesday. The Warriors were at full strength giving Utah a Mt. Everest challenge especially on their home court. The Jazz would have their work cut out for them.

The first quarter opened blow-out style causing the Jazz to take an early time-out. Midway through the quarter Utah began to settle down a bit but had a lot of ground to make up. At 4:08 left in the quarter the Jazz called another time-out when Golden State took a dozen point lead 23-11. It was all Warriors with their impenetrable and lethal offense as the quarter began to wind down. The score was 33-15 going into the second quarter. Draymond Green was spectacular going four for four from downtown torching the basket Utah went without a basket for over five minutes in the quarter going absolutely stale.

The second quarter was more of the same with Golden State unable to do much wrong. As the quarter reached the mid-way point the Warriors began to make a few errors that Coach Mikel Brown was not pleased with calling a time-out. The Jazz had cut their deficit in half in the later minutes of the second quarter before Golden State got back on track. The score at halftime was 60-47 as Utah regained their footing only trailing by 13. The first five minutes of the third quarter would be crucial for the Utah.

The Jazz came out with a purpose cutting their deficit to single digits at 9:11. The Warriors had cooled off quieting the crowd. All it took was a spectacular Durant dunk and the crowd came alive; the Warriors enjoying a 13 point lead at 6:55 left the third quarter. The Jazz continued to stay on the Warriors heels despite the absence of George Hill. The Warriors led by 10 going into the fourth quarter 92-82; the Jazz refusing to back down. This game had changed significantly since that extraordinary first quarter.

It seemed as if every time Golden State got a nice lead, Utah would fight back. The Warriors would hang on to win the game 111-102 and take a 2-0 series lead. Utah has not led in either of their losses. Durant led with 25 points, Curry with 23 followed by Green with 21 and Thompson with 14. Despite the final score, Golden State dominated in this game.

The Warriors will now head out on the road for game three Saturday night looking to go up 3-0 in the series.

 

Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor: Utah doesn’t quite have the horses to get past Warriors; Odds makers Warriors to sweep

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Utah Jazz’s Gordon Hayward (20) is defended by Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry (30) during the first half in Game 1 of an NBA basketball second-round playoff series, Tuesday, May 2, 2017, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

On the Warriors podcast with David:

If you look at the odds makers in Las Vegas their placing this series at a sweep for Golden State over Utah or maybe in five games so nobody anticipates that the Utah Jazz will pull off an upset. The overall result of this series, I would hesitate to say that the Warriors had a lot of trouble with the Jazz. The game it wasn’t a blowout 106-94. The Warriors they only won by 12.

It was a game where it seemed like Utah wasn’t threatening anytime and there were a few tiny moments and it seemed like Utah was a shot or two away to really have a chance to get back in it and the Warriors would get that lead right back. The Jazz are a good team not a great team and they have a good team defense and they play a very deliberate slow down game.

David Zizmor does the Warriors podcast each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

 

Golden State Warriors NBA Playoffs Game one recap: Round Two Gets Underway for Golden State; Dubs waste no time with 106-94 win

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Utah Jazz’s Boris Diaw (33) shoots as Golden State Warriors’ Draymond Green (23) and David West, right, defend during the second half in Game 1 of an NBA basketball second-round playoff series, Tuesday, May 2, 2017, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

By Barbara Mason

Tuesday night the Golden State Warriors took on the Utah Jazz as they continued their quest for the big prize that eluded them last year. The way this team has been playing it is almost like their opponents are lambs going to the slaughter. The Warriors have had their challenges throughout the playoffs as well as the latter stages of the regular season. No matter what they are facing they always find a way to win. It’s as if they toy with teams before putting them out of their misery. That’s not to say that they are playing inferior teams, they are not. They just find a way to win everytime.

The Jazz kept things close for a part of the first quarter but then it began to slowly slip away. Golden State led going into the second quarter 27-21. The Warriors continued to extend their lead and had a 58-46 lead at halftime. Steph Curry had 16 points while Kevin Durant had ten. The leader for the Jazz was Rudy Gobert with ten points. While a twelve point deficit is surmountable against most teams it is quite a different story when it comes to the Warriors. Neither had much success when it came to the three-point plays; each team having four.

Golden State maintained their double-digit lead throughout the third quarter leading 84-73 going into the fourth quarter. The Jazz were unable to make up any ground going into the final quarter. Curry led with 22 points while the Jazz leader was Gobert shooting 13 points.

As is usual and customary the Warriors began to pile it on as the fourth quarter started to tick away. Golden State led by as many as 21 points in the final quarter. Steph Curry sat out much of the fourth quarter with a slightly tweaked ankle. The final was 106-94. All of the Warrior starters finished with double digits. “I think our guys did a pretty good job staying in shape and staying in rhythm. We’ve got so many weapons,” said Draymond Green who had 17 points and eight rebounds.

So now Golden State takes a 1-0 lead in the series. They will face the Jazz on Thursday night at Oracle Arena before heading back to Utah for two games. The game will begin on Thursday at 7:30 .

Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor: Warriors wait to see if Jazz or Clips will be next for second round

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Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan, left, and Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert, of France, battle for a rebound during the second half in Game 5 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series, Tuesday, April 25, 2017, in Los Angeles. The Jazz won 96-92. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

On the Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor:

Who will be the Golden State Warriors next opponent for the next round? The Utah Jazz are up on the Los Angeles Clippers in their series 3-2 and it’s unpredictable how this series will turn out the Jazz might be the better team especially with Blake Griffin out for the Clippers out with an injury. It’s a four five match up with both teams pretty much with the same record. Utah was threatening to take the fourth seed at the very end.

The Clips and Jazz look pretty evenly matched and if ones better than the other is anybody’s guess and it’s three games to two with the Jazz ahead and the series goes to Utah for game six. The Clippers are not a push over and that game five that Utah won was a close one the final score was 96-92. Utah is never an easy place to win and home court advantage is going to play to their benefit but the Clippers have been in a lot of series and they have been snake bitten over the course of the team’s history.

David Zizmor does the Golden State Warriors podcasts each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

That’s Amaury’s Podcast, News, & Commentary: After flash mob BART robbery is the ride to A’s and Warriors games safe anymore?

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Antiochherald.com photo: Golden State Warrior and Oakland A’s fans are questioning if the transit ride to and from the Oakland Coliseum is safe anymore some fans might resort to using protection in the case of a flash mob robbery like last Saturday

By Amaury Pi Gonzalez

After BART passengers got robbed and had their phones, bags, wallets purses, luggage stolen from them around 9:30 PM at the Oakland Coliseum BART station last Saturday night in Oakland fans who attend Oakland A’s and Golden State Warriors games have to ask themselves are they really safe on the mass transit ride. Witnesses reported that 60 juveniles jumped the fare gates and ran to the BART train platforms and robbed trains while passengers were boarding and exiting and passengers who were seated were beaten and robbed.

The robbers held the doors open on a Dublin bound train and beat the riders while robbing them there were no reports of guns or other weapons that were used during the robbery. The A’s and Warriors were not playing a home game that night at that time.  A’s and Warriors fans, workers at the Oakland Coliseum who use BART are determined to use the transit system no matter what say they will protect themselves they did not specify how they would go about protecting themselves but if these types of flash mob robberies continue someone could get hurt or even killed.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the Oakland A’s Spanish radio talent, the LA Angels Spanish TV talent, and does News and Commentary each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

Extra Dribbles: Warriors complete sweep of Trail Blazers to advance to West semis; await Jazz/Clippers winner

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By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
Sports Radio Service Writer

PORTLAND — All five starters scored in double figures led by Stephen Curry’s game-high 37 points as the Golden State Warriors completed a four-game sweep to advance to the conference semifinals by dismantling the Trail Blazers with a 128-103 victory Monday night.

The Warriors improve to 12-1 in the first round over the past three postseasons, per the Elias Sports Bureau.

This is the third four-game sweep in franchise history for Golden State. The Warriors swept the Washington Bullets in the 1975 NBA Finals, and the New Orleans Pelicans in 2015 en route to the championship that season.

Even without head coach Steve Kerr, who is away from the team to deal with lingering affects from back surgery in 2015, and assistant coach Mike Brown moving into Kerr’s chair for the second straight game (and for the foreseeable future), the Warriors played the brand of basketball that has become must-see-television for the past three seasons under Kerr in Game 4.

Curry shot 12-of-20 from the field, including 7-of-11 on 3s to go along with eight assists and seven rebounds in 30 minutes.

Draymond Green added 21 points, six rebounds, four assists, and three blocks in 33 minutes. Green, who by all accounts is the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year, leads all players with 4.7 blocks per game in the playoffs.

Klay Thompson, who struggled for most of the series shooting 37-percent from the field and 35-percent on 3s, bounced back in the clincher with 18 points on 6-of-13 shooting (3-of-5 on 3s) in 30 minutes.

Kevin Durant returned back in the starting lineup, adding 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting in 20 minutes.

Durant was sidelined in both Games 2 and 3 with a strained left calf, showed no signs of the injury whenever he drove the ball to the basket as evident of his dunk that increased Golden State’s lead to 22-3 at one point.

Golden State’s hot three-point shooting was in true form in Game 4, as the team knocked down 17-of-29 (58.6-perecent) from beyond the arc. The team had 27 assists (with 10 turnovers) on 46 made baskets (53.5-percent) from the floor, while holding a 45-39 edge on the boards.

The Warriors jumped out early on the Trail Blazers, scoring 45 points in the first quarter tying an NBA record for most points in a single quarter (Portland had 22 at the end of the first quarter). The Houston Rockets scored 45 points against Golden State on May 25, 2015 in Game 4 of their best-of-seven conference semifinals, per ESPN Stats and Information.

Portland was hit with a massive uppercut by the Warriors in the first quarter that they never recovered from the rest of the game.

Golden State started off hot in the first quarter, going on a 14-0 run before Portland scored their first basket, a three-pointer by Evan Turner. Golden State shot 15-of-18 in the first quarter and led as much as 33 points in the game.

By halftime, the game was never in doubt when Golden State was leading 72-48.

But Portland’s season really came to an end when Curry drained a rainbow three-pointer from 31-feet that pushed the Warriors’ lead to 104-77 late in the third quarter that sucked the final breath out of the Trail Blazers.

Damian Lillard, Oakland’s native son, tried to will Portland as he’s done for most of the season, led the Trail Blazers with 34 points on 12-of-24 shooting to go along with six assists. Lillard was given a standing ovation by the remainder of the Moda Center crowd when he left the floor at the 6:12 mark in the fourth quarter.

Al-Farouq Aminu finished with 25 points and seven rebounds in 35 minutes and Shabazz Napier scored 14 points off the bench for the Trail Blazers, who just completed their fourth-straight playoff appearance under head coach Terry Stotts.

Per ESPN Stats and Information, this is the first time since 1999 that the Trail Blazers have been swept in a best-of-seven series when they lost to the San Antonio Spurs, who went on to win their first NBA championship in franchise history after the NBA players’ lockout shorten the season to 50 games.

The real dud of the night was the performance of shooting guard, C.J. McCollum in the biggest game of the season for Portland which was real head scratching to watch.

After averaging 28.0 points per game in the series, McCollum was nowhere to be found in as he couldn’t buy a basket for most of the game.

McCollum started the first half shooting 0-of-7 from the floor.

According to ESPN Stats and Information, that was McCollum’s second scoreless first half of the season. McCollum finished the game 2-of-12 from the floor for just six points.

With the Jazz-Clippers series tied at 2-2, Golden State won’t play another game until this weekend which will give the team a  chance to rest. Getting players like Shawn Livingston (right index finger sprain) and Matt Barnes (right ankle/foot sprain) additional rest will be key for Golden State.

Livingston hasn’t played since Game 1, while Barnes hasn’t been available for the entire series.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Extra Dribbles: Short-handed Warriors put 3-0 stranglehold on Trail Blazers

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By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
Sports Radio Service Writer

PORTLAND — Stephen Curry scored a game-high 34 points to go along with eight assists and Klay Thompson finished with 24 points and the Warriors erased a 16-point third quarter deficit to put the Trail Blazers on the brink of elimination with a hard-fought 119-113 victory Saturday night in Portland.

Both Curry (10-of-25) and Thompson (8-of-21) struggled in the first half before finding their respective strokes in the second half.

Andre Iguodala scored 16 points and Patrick McCaw (starting his second career postseason game), added 11 points.

Draymond Green had another stat-sheet filling night with nine points, eight rebounds, seven assists, and six blocks.

With the win, Golden State snaps a five-game postseason losing streak in Game 3s. Through the first three games, Golden State’s +47 combined win margin is the largest for any playoff series in franchise history.

Golden State can send the Trail Blazers fishing for the summer with a win in Game 4 on Monday night in Portland.

Without head coach Steve Kerr (illness), Kevin Durant (calf), Shaun Livingston (hand), and Matt Barnes (ankle),  the Golden State Warriors resembled more of the walking wounded rather than the NBA’s best team entering Game 3 of their best-of-7 series; but played smart and calm down the stretch that resulted in the victory.

Check out my takeaways below that led to Golden State’s win:

Golden State owned the third quarter: Trailing 82-66 after a Damian Lillard finger roll with 6:20 left in the third quarter, the Warriors stormed back with a 19-1 run, taking an 85-83 lead when JaVale McGee slammed through a lob with 2:01 left in the quarter.

Golden State overcame a 16-point hole and 52-42 rebounding edge by the Blazers to neutralize Portland to 30.4-percent shooting for the quarter. During their hot run, Golden State held Portland to 0-of-8 shooting, with three turnovers.

Per ESPN Stats and Information, Thompson made more 3s in the third (4) than total field goals made (3) in the first half.

The Warriors ended the third quarter on a 21-6 run.

Take another bow, McGee: There’s no question that Curry and Thompson were huge in Golden State’s second half comeback, but the play of McGee in Game 3 was just as vital.

McGee, who has been referenced as a “vertical spacer” by the Warriors’ coaching staff, has been just that against the Trail Blazers this series with his penchant for catching the lob pass for hammering dunks.

In 16 minutes on the floor tonight, McGee scored 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the floor, to go along with four rebounds. The reserve center was +24 whenever he was on the court.

When you combine his performances from Game 1 (6 points on 3-of-4 FG) and Game 2 (15 points on 7-of-7 shooting) with his line from Game 3 (14 points on 6-of-8 shooting), McGee has scored 35 points on 16-of-19 shooting.

Portland’s backcourt is fun to watch and aren’t the problem: Through the first three games, Lillard and C.J. McCollum have made life difficult for the NBA’s second-ranked defense during the regular season with their ability to score nearly at will. Outside of Game 2, Portland’s electrifying backcourt has torched Golden State:

In Game 1: 75 of Portland’s 109 points on 38-of-54 shooting (7-of-15 3FG).

In Game 2: 23 of Portland’s 80 points on 9-of-34 shooting (1-of-7 3FG).

In Game 3: 63 of Portland’s 119 points on 20-of-46 shooting (10-of-22 3FG).

McCollum led all Trail Blazers with 32 points and Lillard finished with 31 points, seven rebounds, and four assists in Game 3, where Portland was feeding off of its raucous crowd.

Portland did get center Jusuf Nurkic back in the starting lineup for Game 3 after missing the first two games of the series with a non-displaced fracture in his left leg he suffered late in the season that caused him to miss the final seven games.

Nurkic finished with two points and 11 rebounds in 17 minutes of action and was a non-factor.

Al-Farouq Aminu had 14 points and nine rebounds to lead Portland’s bench, while Noah Vonleh added 10 points and seven rebounds.

Allen Crabbe, whose struggled in the series shooting just 33-percent from the floor, scored eight.

Golden State held the edge in points in the paint (46-38) and fastbreak points (22-6).

The Warriors trailing after the first half, rally to take a 3-0 series lead over the Portland Trail Blazers 119-113

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by Jerry Feitelberg

Portland, Oregon-The Golden State Warriors, after being behind by 17 points late in the first half, came to life in the third quarter and defeated the Portland TrailBlazers 119-113 to take a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. The Warriors can close out the series Monday night in Portland.

The Dubs only lead in the first half came when Draymond Green hit a 3-pointer early in the first quarter to give the Dubs the lead 3-2. From that point forward, the Blazers, behind the hot hands of Damien Lillard and C.J. McCollum raced out to 65-48 advantage late in the first half. Steph Curry hit a three to close the gap to 67-54 at the finish of 24 minutes of play. Lillard tallied 22 for Portland and his backcourt companion, C.J. McCollum knocked down 17. Steph Curry was the only Warrior in double figures with 15. Klay Thompson was held to just 7 points. Draymond Green also had seven. Big Ja Vale McGee, who has been a spark coming off the bench, did it again Saturday night. He tallied 8 points, and his presence seemed to give the Dubs a lift.

The Blazers had everything going their way. They were moving the ball and finding the open man. The Warriors were out of sync. The Blazers outrebounded the Warriors 29-13, and each team had 9 assists. The Dubs made just 5 3-pointers while Portland made 8. The fans in Portland were convinced that the Blazers were on their way to a win.

The Dubs trailed 82-66 when Ja Vale McGee came back into the game. The Dubs went on a 19-1 run and took the lead 85-83. It was the first lead for the Dubs since early in the first quarter. The Dubs outscored the Blazers 33-21 in the quarter, but the Blazers finished the quarter ahead by just one-point 88-87. The crowd was getting very nervous as they sensed the momentum had shifted and that the Warriors were about to send the Blazers down to defeat.

The fans weren’t wrong. The Blazers gave the Dubs a run for the money as the lead seesawed back and forth. The last time Portland would lead happened when they made a free throw and led 96-95. The Warriors, behind Steph Curry, Andre Iguodala, and Klay Thompson, extended the lead to 108-100. The Blazers cut the deficit to four, but the Dubs would not be denied. Iguodala and Curry mad clutch hoops to nail down the win 119-113.

Game notes and stats- The Dubs’ defense came to life in the second half as the limited the Blazers to just 46 points in the half. They bottled up McCollum and Lillard much of the second half, and the Blazers do not have the manpower to keep up with the Warriors. Kevin Durant, Shaun Livingston, and Matt Barnes did not suit up Saturday night. The Blazers’ Jusuf Nurkic played in his first game since breaking a bone in his leg April 1st. Nurkic gave the Blazers a lift, but he showed a lot of rust and could not jump. He still managed to record 11 rebounds and 4 assists.

Step Curry led the Dubs with 34 points, 8 assists, and 4 rebounds. Klay Thompson finished with 24. Patrick McCaw continued to play well filling in for Kevin Durant. McCaw finished the night with 11 points, 5 assists, 5 rebounds, and a blocked shot. Andre Iguodala had 16, JaVale McGee 14, and Draymond added 9 points, 7 assists, 8 rebounds, and six big blocks. The Dubs had 11 steals and 11 blocks for the night, The Dubs committed just 7 turnovers.

Warriors’ head coach Steve Kerr missed the game with an undisclosed illness. Assistant coach Mike Brown filled in for Kerr. Andre Iguodala said this about Brown:” I think he did a really good job of keeping us poised.”

Game four of the series will be at the Moda Center in Portland Monday night. Game time will be at 7:30 pm.

 

 

Extra Dribbles: Without Durant, Warriors wallop Trail Blazers in Game two 110-81

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Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry drives to the basket against the Portland Trail Blazers during Game 2 of a first-round NBA basketball playoff series Wednesday, April 19, 2017, in Oakland, Calif. (Ezra Shaw, Getty Images via AP, Pool)

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
Sports Radio Service Writer

OAKLAND — Even without star forward Kevin Durant, who didn’t play due to a left calf strain, the Golden State Warriors were able to impose their will in dominating fashion to take a 2-0 lead over the Portland Trail Blazers 110-81 Wednesday night at Oracle Arena.

Game 3 is Saturday night in Portland.

Check out my takeaways below that led to Golden State’s win in the best-of-7 first-round series:

The Splash Brothers were just damp in Game 2

Stephan Curry (6 of 18 FG) led Golden State with 19 points and Klay Thompson (6 of 17 FG) added 16 points, but the duo combined to shoot just 12 of 35 from the floor (7 of 20 3FG).

Curry couldn’t find the bottom of the basket in the first half, shooting 2 of 10 from the floor with 6 points and 4 assists, while Thompson started cold in the first half, knocking down just 3 of 9 from the floor for 8 points.

Patrick McCaw, who started in place of Durant, had nine points and five rebounds.

I don’t expect the Warriors prized backcourt to have another slow shooting night, especially in Portland, where Golden State will be greeted by a rabid Moda Center in prime time.

Golden State jumped out to a 33-17 lead in the first quarter, shooting 13 of 22 from the field on 11 assists, before finishing with a 31 to 17 assist advantage over the Trail Blazers.

The Warriors turned up the defense in the opening frame, holding Portland to just 6 of 21 from the field.

Golden State’s biggest lead of the game was 32 points 96-64 midway through the fourth quarter.

Draymond Green is always on time: Although he didn’t score 19 points tonight as he did in Game 1 finishing with just 6, Green was up to his old tricks again filling up the stat sheet.

Green recorded 12 rebounds and 10 assists in Game 2, a nice follow up to his 19 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists in Game 1.

Center of attention: There are still times where I scratch my head and wonder how are the Warriors making lemonade out of their weakest position, center?

JaVale McGee actually led Golden State in scoring at halftime, piling up 15 points on 7 of 7 shooting. Granted, a bunch of those shots were putbacks and one spin-move that left Trail Blazers center Noah Vonleh’s head spin.

McGee scored 6 points on 3 of 4 shooting in Game 1 before coming alive for the Warriors in Game 2.

Throw in Zsa Zsa Pachulia’s 10 points on 5 of 8 shooting, James Michael McAdoo’s 7 points on 2 of 5 shooting, and Damian Jones’s free throw, Golden State’s big men contributed 33 points on 14 of 20 shots from the floor.

The Warriors controlled the paint, outscoring Portland 50 to 36 inside and held a 54 to 47 rebounding edge.

There is no secret that the loss of center Jusef Nurkic has been a glaring hole for Portland, who are hoping that the big man could suit up when the Trail Blazers return home for Games 3 and 4.

After gigantic performances in Game 1, Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum were duds in Game 2: Look, the writing is on the wall for the Trail Blazers. Portland has a backcourt that is comparable to the Splash Brothers, but they can’t do it by themselves.

After combining for 75 points on 52% shooting (7 of 15 3FG) in Game 1, Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum couldn’t carry Portland in Game 2 as Lillard and McCollum combined for 23 points on 9 of 34 from the floor.

Golden State put the clamps on Portland’s dynamic backcourt after the pair were virtually un-guardable in Game 1.

McCollum finished with a career playoff-high with 41 points while draining four 3-pointers, but was just 4 of 17 from the floor.

Lillard was missing in action as the Warriors held the Oakland product to just 12 points on 5 of 14 shooting.

Lillard and McCollum are fantastic scorers, but it was forward Maurice Harkless who led Portland with 15 points and eight rebounds in Game 2.

Shabazz Napier was the only other Portland player in double digits with 10 points. Allen Crabbe shot just 3 of 10 in Game 2, finishing with just 6 points and was 0 of 4 from beyond the arc.

This was Golden State’s 12th win in their last 13 meetings with Portland in the postseason. The last time Portland defeated Golden State in the playoffs, it was in Game 3 of last season’s Western Conference Semifinals.

 

 

 

No Durant, no problem: Warriors blow past Trailblazers

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By Ben Leonard

Golden State had gone through rough patches when Kevin Durant went down with an MCL sprain, dropping five of their first seven games without him. With their small forward out with a left calf strain Wednesday, the Warriors were faced with that possibility once again.

But the Warriors certainly did not let their star’s absence affect their play Wednesday, blowing past the Trailblazers 110-81 to take a 2-0 series lead in the Western Conference quarterfinals. Despite a merely average offensive output, the Warriors leaned on lockdown defense to shut down Portland’s high-flying offense, holding them to shoot just 21.2 percent from beyond the arc.

Among the Trailblazers who struggled was star point guard Damian Lilliard, who converted on just 5-of-17 field goal attempts and scored 12 points.

After limiting the Trailblazers to 17 points in the first quarter, Golden State yielded just 12 points in the third quarter to pull away for good. The Warriors had been off to a hot start offensively, going on a 12-of-18 shooting run midway through the first quarter to distance themselves from Portland.

But the Trailblazers went on a strong run to cut the Warriors’ lead to just one point midway through the second. From there, the Warriors kicked it into gear, finishing the game on a 67-39 run to vault past Portland.

Despite an off shooting night, converting on just 6-of-18 field goal attempts, Stephen Curry shouldered the brunt of the load on offense, scoring 19 points and making four 3-pointers.

JaVale McGee came off the bench to shoot a perfect 7-of-7 from the field, chipping in with 15 points while Klay Thompson also added 16.

Image: Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry (30) dribbles past Portland Trail Blazers’ Evan Turner during the first half in Game 2 of a first-round NBA basketball playoff series Wednesday, April 19, 2017, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)