Warriors tested by pesky Blazers

Portland guard Damian Lillard (center) loses the ball between Golden State forwards David West (3) and Andre Iguodala (9) in the second half of their NBA Western Conference playoff Sunday in Oakland. The Warriors, behind Kevin Durant’s 32 points, won the game 121-109.
Portland guard Damian Lillard (center) loses the ball between Golden State forwards David West (3) and Andre Iguodala (9) in the second half of their NBA Western Conference playoff Sunday in Oakland. The Warriors, behind Kevin Durant’s 32 points, won the game 121-109.

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Kevin Durant patted his chest after two big baskets in the fourth quarter and let everybody know "I got this!" Stephen Curry knocked down a timely baseline three-pointer, reached his hand high and gestured to further ignite a raucous sellout crowd.

photo

AP

Golden State forward Draymond Green blocks a shot by Portland’s Noah Vonleh in the second half of the Warriors’ 121-109 victory. Green had 19 points, 12 rebounds and 9 assists for the Warriors.

On a day Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum put on a dazzling display of shot-making for Portland, the NBA's top-seeded team of superstars found its touch down the stretch and defended with purpose.

Durant had 32 points and 10 rebounds in his Golden State playoff debut, Curry scored 29 points, and the Warriors withstood that sensational day by the Trail Blazers' dynamic backcourt duo to win Game 1 of the first-round series 121-109 on Sunday.

McCollum scored a playoff career-best 41 points, and Lillard had 34, but the Warriors made the crucial big plays on both ends down the stretch with Portland missing injured center Jusuf Nurkic.

"When they got it going, they're hitting tough shots in the first half, some you've just got to live with, we played great defense," Curry said. "They were just able to finish, but over the course of 48 you just try to wear them down."

Draymond Green had 19 points, 12 rebounds, 9 assists, 5 blocked shots and 3 steals to help last season's second-place team take the first step in what it is counting on to be a championship run.

Durant shot 12 for 20, showing no issues with a recent left knee injury that sidelined him 19 games before he returned for the final three regular-season contests with the NBA-best Warriors.

"The game ratchets up when you get into the playoffs," Durant said. "I definitely felt good out there."

Game 2 is Wednesday night at Oracle Arena.

The opener in a rematch of last season's Western Conference semifinals won in five games by Golden State didn't disappoint featuring two of the NBA's best backcourt duos. There was a little of everything: physical play, trash talk, deep 3-pointers, monster blocked shots and dazzling dunks. After one flurry of a third-quarter sequence when several players on both teams hit the floor trying to secure a loose ball, four towel guys frantically wiped down the court.

Durant got going fast. He drove the lane for a one-handed slam midway through the first then knocked down a three-pointer from the top about a minute later. After missing a dunk but getting fouled, Durant pounded the basket stanchion with his right fist in frustration.

He vowed to take his game to another level as a new season begins -- not to mention the quest for his first title.

As the final period got underway, Ian Clark did what he often does to give the Blazers fits and chipped in during a 15-2 run on the way to 12 points off the bench. The 6-foot-3 guard scored a putback off his own miss in the paint one possession then knocked down a three-pointer the next as Golden State went ahead 97-90 with 8:59 remaining.

McCollum shot 11 of 15 in the first half then began the second 2 for 7 and finished his day 16 of 28, while Lillard went 12 for 26. McCollum's 27 first-half points matched a Portland playoff record for a half and he and Lillard had 48 of their team's 56 at the break.

"You've got to give them a lot of credit, they got it going," Green said. "At some point you have to make them miss."

The Warriors' defensive intensity after halftime was the difference in the Blazers' minds -- and Lillard expects everybody to do more.

"Dame and CJ, if they get 80 between them we've still got to score another 40 or 50 from somewhere," Coach Terry Stotts said.

WIZARDS 114, HAWKS 107

WASHINGTON -- John Wall scored a playoff career-high 32 points and Markieff Morris added 21 in his NBA playoff debut as the Washington Wizards beat the Atlanta Hawks in Game 1 of their first-round series.

Wall scored 15 points in the third quarter and finished with 14 assists in the best playoff performance of his young career. Morris, in his first taste of the postseason after 448 regular-season games, caught fire early in the second half to push Washington ahead, and the Wizards held on to take the series lead.

Bradley Beal had 22 points for the Wizards, who got enough from their top players to offset 25 points from Atlanta's Dennis Schroder and 19 from Paul Millsap. Center Dwight Howard had 14 rebounds but just seven points for the Hawks, who dominated inside and on the boards early but couldn't contain Wall, Beal and Morris.

Sports on 04/17/2017

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