OAKLAND — An enthralling Game 1 to open the 2017 postseason was tied at both halftime and at the end of the third quarter. Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum combined for 75 points. It felt more like the Western Conference Finals.
In the end, the Warriors prevailed 121-109 over the Trail Blazers, in a game that reminded us of Portland’s potential and Golden State’s preeminence.
They were the losers, but McCollum and Lillard’s near heroics were the surprise story from Game 1. The Trail Blazers were doing the punching on offense the first three quarters, and the Warriors were doing their very best to counter. McCollum was unconscious, hitting 11 of his first 15 shots while scoring 27 first half points — and he held Klay Thompson mostly in check. McCollum finished with 41 points; Lillard posted 34 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists. They were the two most dangerous players at Oracle Arena on Easter Sunday.
The Warriors weren’t able to start pulling away until the fourth quarter — with both Steph Curry and Kevin Durant on the bench. Led by Draymond Green, they finally put the defensive clamps on the Blazers and got multiple stops. An 88 third quarter gridlock quickly turned into a 103-90 Warriors lead. The game was won on this 15-2 run and 7 those points were scored by Ian Clark.
Yep, the two key bench contributors were not Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston — rather Clark and JaVale McGee. Clark had a 5-0 run by himself in the second quarter, nailing a 3 and finishing a steal with a gorgeous left-handed floater. McGee’s energy was much-needed and felt all over the court — 6 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks in 10 very impactful minutes.
Curry and Durant did nothing out of the ordinary, but both were their effective selves. Curry finished with 29 points and 5 rebounds on 9 of 19 shooting. Durant went into closer mode late in the fourth quarter, scoring on consecutive trips down the floor to give the Warriors a 113-99 edge with just over three minutes to play. KD ended up with a team-high 32 points and 10 rebounds on 12 of 20 shooting. It was his 40th career 30-point game in the postseason, and obviously his first-ever with Golden State. Thompson scored 15 points but went 1 of 6 from downtown.
It was Green who provided the most riveting performance, and something Portland just had no answer for. Green scored 10 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter, was blocking shots off the backboard and screaming at the top of his lungs, igniting his teammates. The 12 rebounds and 9 assists were vital in the end, too.
The Warriors rode the wave of an 8-0 at the end of the third quarter to gain some breathing room on Portland. On one end of the floor, McGee soared for a block and directly on the other he corralled an offensive rebound, slid the ball to Curry for a corner 3 that put the Warriors up 80-77. Immediately after a timeout, Durant drove left for a leaning And-1 bank shot, extending the lead to 83-77. Oracle Arena finally woke up during this vital sequence for the Warriors.
But the good vibes didn’t last long. An improbable McCollum bank shot and a Pat Connaughton And-1 of his own tied things up at 88 apiece at the end of the third quarter. It was a reminder that this series won’t be a breeze.
The Warriors have a couple things to clean up, starting with turnovers. Golden State committed 9 of them in the first 14 minutes, ending with 16 total.
Game 2 is set for Wednesday at 7:30 from Oracle Arena.