Depth aplenty in absence of 3 key players

When the Warriors confirmed that Kevin Durant would sit out Game 2 of the team’s playoff series against Portland on Wednesday night, all eyes turned to a familiar group.

Would it be Stephen Curry? Or Klay Thompson? Or maybe Draymond Green? One of Golden State’s star trio would have to step forward and help fill KD’s size 18 shoes.

And, for the most part, that’s how it played out. All three of the Warriors’ remaining All-

Stars stepped into familiar roles. There was Klay, coming out hot in the first quarter, then pouring it on in the third. Draymond grabbed five boards before most fans settled into their popcorn, then provided floor leadership throughout. And Steph was Steph, hitting key three-pointers and lofting ridiculous passes for alley-oops.

What promised to be an interesting test for the Warriors — who played without Durant (calf strain), Matt Barnes (ankle/ foot) and Shaun Livingston (finger/hand) in front of the home crowd — turned into a typical Warriors runaway, the Blazers succumbing 110-81. In many ways, Golden State reverted to last year’s form, finding its strength in numbers.

You could see it from the opening tip. It was an ensemble effort in the first quarter, as Thompson snapped out of Game 1 doldrums to pace the team with eight points. Back-toback threes by Thompson and Curry got the fans out of their seats. Then the Warriors ran off a 14-0 run and put the Blazers in their place. It was 33-17 after the first quarter and the rest of the game was a bit of a snooze, to be frank.

“We set a good pace from the start,” head coach Steve Kerr said. “Defense was the key . ... The bench was great. Really came through for us. We feel like we have a really deep team. We needed every guy. They came through.”

With the game well in hand, Kerr started mixing and matching his lineups in a way we haven’t seen before. With all those regulars on the bench, Kerr got creative. At one point, he fielded a lineup that featured Curry, Andre Iguodala, David West, Ian Clark and Patrick McCaw.

And guess what? It worked. That’s what this game was all about in a lot of ways. The main question was who would fill the scoring void. But, you figured that would come. As Kerr put it before tip-off, “We have a lot of guys that can score and a lot of guys that can make a play . ... I just want every to go out there and be aggressive.” They were. The most interesting part of the night was the deeper look we would get at the Warriors’ untested playoff bench. Sure, we know what Iguodala can do. And West has a long pedigree. But Clark and McCaw and JaVale McGee? These guys are going to have to deliver at some point during the playoffs.

Well, it doesn’t look like the Warriors need to worry about McGee. He has been Mr. Energy coming off the bunch, snatching ridiculous lobs and throwing down dunks. He did it again Wednesday, taking two crazy feeds in the first quarter, including an absolute gem from Curry, and flushing it down. He finished the night with 15 points.

And the crowd let him feel the love. McGee joins a long list of postseason fan favorites at Oracle Arena, including the dearly departed Marreese Speights, Leandro Barbosa and Iguodala.

“We’re just trying to mix and match at that five spot,” said Kerr. “JaVale has given us great energy . ... (He’s) as good as anybody catching that lob . ... It forces the defense to react.”

McCaw and Clark? Not so sure yet. But both played solid minutes and didn’t embarrass. McCaw hit a nice open three in the second quarter, then later had a pretty take to the rim and an impressive block. But we’re not talking about Barbosa here. Clark played 26 minutes, and chipped in 13 points and some solid defense. Until Livingston returns, it’s unclear who can provide consistent instant offense on the second team.

The coach is high on McCaw, who started. “I liked the fact he was unafraid,” Kerr said. “He’s a rookie and barely played in Game 1. The fact that he stayed prepared and stayed ready ... and really defended well.”

Kerr’s rotation while the game was in doubt included nine players, with James Michael McAdoo the only notable absence. Like many of the Warriors’ minor setbacks this season, the timing of Durant & Co.’s injuries actually might have helped. With the three out, Kerr got a good, long look at his youngsters. That’s knowledge he can tuck away for later rounds, when matchups play large and injuries mount.

Otherwise, there wasn’t much tension in the building on this night. The crowd was relatively quiet, showing its Roaracle teeth only a few times. There was a scary moment in the third quarter, when Green took a hard foul from Portland’s Meyers Leonard. The clothesline defense sent Golden State’s emotional leader to the floor, hard, where he stayed for a minute or more.

But Green got up and the rest of the game played itself out, with few memorable moments. Many fans filed out with about six minutes to go.

But they did get to see some magic. Curry hit a ridiculous three from about 27 feet in the third quarter to put the Warriors up by 19. A familiar “Waaariorrs!” chant went up. And all was right in the golden state.

As the fourth quarter started, a massive “Strength in Numbers” banner was stretched across the entire court, and the crowd showed its appreciation.

For one night, at least, depth had trumped injury. Al Saracevic is sports editor of The San Francisco Chronicle. Email: asaracevic@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @alsaracevic