Warriors return to form, rout Spurs
OAKLAND, Calif. — Kevin Durant helped the defending champions get defensive in a hurry, finishing with 24 points, eight rebounds and seven assists as the Golden State Warriors returned to their former dominant selves at playoff time to beat the cold-shooting San Antonio Spurs 113-92 on Saturday.
“Absolutely,” Klay Thompson said about playing a memorable, statement-making Game 1. “We did not end the season on a high note; we kind of hobbled into the playoffs. We know how talented we are. We know how good we are. We have been here before in the postseason and know what it takes to win.”
And they know how to win in impressive fashion on the NBA's big stage.
Durant, Draymond Green and Thompson took charge in Game 1 of the first-round series to elevate the Warriors' intensity at last playing without fellow All-Star and injured two-time MVP Stephen Curry, sidelined since March 23 with a sprained left knee.
Thompson found his shot and scored 27 points, making 11 of 13 shots; 7-footer JaVale McGee started in Steve Kerr's center-by-committee approach and contributed 15 points, four rebounds and two blocked shots in 16 minutes.
Rudy Gay led the Spurs with 15 points off the bench as leading scorer LaMarcus Aldridge was limited to 14 points on 5-for-12 shooting.
“The first quarter we looked like deer in the headlights,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. PELICANS 97, BLAZERS 95
Anthony Davis had 35 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks, and New Orleans became the first road team to win by beating Portland.
Jrue Holiday added 21 points, outplaying both Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, and had a big blocked shot in the closing seconds as New Orleans held on after Portland erased almost all of a 19-point deficit. RAPTORS 114, WIZARDS 106
Serge Ibaka had 23 points and 12 rebounds, Delon Wright scored 11 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter, and Toronto snapped a 10-game losing streak in playoff series openers by beating visiting Washington.
DeMar DeRozan added 17 points, C.J. Miles and OG Anunoby each had 12, and Kyle Lowry had 11 points and nine assists for Toronto, whose only previous victory in the opening game of a playoff series came in the second round against Philadelphia in 2001.
Toronto entered having lost an NBA-worst 10 consecutive Game 1s, including six at home.
The top-seeded team in the Eastern Conference, Toronto made 16 of 30 3-point attempts, with Miles making four, and Ibaka and Wright each hitting three 3-point attempts. 76ERS 130, HEAT 103
Ben Simmons had 17 points, 14 assists and nine rebounds in his playoff debut, and Philadelphia romped again without Joel Embiid, topping visiting Miami for its 17th straight win.
Embiid was a spectator in Game 1 of the firstround series because of a broken orbital bone around his left eye.
The All-Star center has been hopeful he can return early in the series.
Simmons dished and dazzled in the paint, and Miami had no answer for Philadelphia reserves Marco Belinelli and Ersan
Ilyasova. Belinelli and Ilyasova combined to hit four 3-pointers in the third quarter that helped shift the tone.
From wire reports