Curry, Warriors cruise

Stephen Curry scored 22 points in three quarters of work and the top-seeded Golden State Warriors warmed up in a hurry after a weeklong layoff between playoff games, beating the Utah Jazz, 106-94, in Oakland last night in the opener of the Western Conference semifinals.

Draymond Green scored Golden State’s first six points of the fourth quarter and finished with 17 points, eight rebounds, six assists and two more blocks to bring his five-game playoff swat total to 19.

Kevin Durant added 15 points on an uncharacteristically cold shooting night at 6 for 14 and also five rebounds and five assists.

Rudy Gobert had 13 points, eight rebounds, two blocks and a Flagrant 1 foul on Green in the fourth for the Jazz, who just finished off the Clippers in a sevengame series Sunday, while the Warriors waited after eliminating Portland in a sweep April 24.

Elsewhere in the NBA — LeBron James will save Dahntay Jones some money again.

After Jones was assessed two technical fouls and ejected from Monday’s series opener between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Toronto Raptors, James said he planned to pay the automatic $6,000 fine ($2,000 for each technical, $2,000 for the ejection) that accompanied the penalties.

Last year, after Jones was fined for punching Toronto’s Bismack Biyombo in the groin and was suspended, James paid for his teammate’s misbehavior.

Mark Jackson has signed a multiyear deal with ESPN to continue calling NBA games, including the NBA Finals.

Jackson and partners Mike Breen and Jeff Van Gundy will work the Finals in June for the eighth time, extending their own record for a TV team.