The Golden State Warriors swept into the second round of the NBA playoffs on Monday with a crushing 128-103 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.
Stephen Curry scored 37 points with eight assists and seven rebounds as the Warriors completed a four-game sweep of the best-of-seven Western Conference first-round series against the Blazers.
Curry sat out the entire fourth quarter of a game the Warriors dominated from opening tip.
Their 45 first-quarter points matched an NBA playoff record for points in an opening quarter, and they were up by 24 at halftime.
“We came out on a mission,” Curry said. “It was a great way to put our foot on the gas pedal and get a win.”
Draymond Green added 21 points for the Warriors. Kevin Durant, who missed the last two games with a left calf injury, scored 10 points in just 20 minutes on the floor.
Six Warriors players scored in double figures as Golden state connected on 53.5 percent of their shots from the field, including 17 of 29 from three-point range.
Damian Lillard scored 34 points and Al-Farouq Aminu chipped in 25 for Portland, but the Trail Blazers never really threatened.
The Warriors scored the first six points of the third quarter to stretch their lead to 30 points.
Curry’s three-pointer with seven minutes to play in the third made it 91-58, and Portland wouldn’t get closer than 23 points the rest of the way.
The Warriors now await either the Los Angeles Clippers or Utah Jazz, whose series was tied at two games apiece.
