Lillard’s 40-point spree lifts Blazers over Warriors

PORTLAND, ORE. — Damian Lillard had a playoff-best 40 points and the Portland Trail Blazers avoided a fourth-quarter letdown to beat Golden State 120-108 on Saturday night, cutting the Warriors’ advantage in the Western Conference semifinal to 2-1.

The defending NBA champion Warriors were still without reigning MVP Steph Curry, who sprained his right knee in Game 4 of the team’s first-round series against Houston.

Al-Farouq Aminu had 23 points and 10 rebounds and CJ McCollum added 22 points for Portland. The Trail Blazers led 58-46 at the half and stretched the lead to as many as 20 points in the fourth quarter.

Draymond Green had 37 points and Klay Thompson added 35 for the Warriors, who had won four straight against the Blazers.

Game 4 is Monday night in Portland.

Harrison Barnes’ 3-pointer and Leandro Barbosa’s long jumper closed the gap to 105-92 for the Warriors with six minutes left. Lillard’s 3-pointer with 2:47 made it 114-97, but Green answered with his own 3. McCollum’s 3-pointer pushed Portland’s lead to 120-106 with 1:22 left and the Warriors couldn’t catch up.

Avoiding a fourth quarter letdown was key for Portland. The Blazers led 87-76 going into the fourth quarter of Game 2, but were outscored 34-12 the rest of the way by the Warriors.

But Lillard tends to respond to adversity: After he was snubbed for an all-star bid this season he scored 51 points, including nine 3-pointers, in a 137-105 victory over the Warriors on Feb. 19. It was one of just nine losses for the Warriors in a record-setting 73-win season.

Curry returned to practice on Friday with a brace on his knee. The team did not scrimmage, but Curry ran through an extensive postpractice shooting routine. Coach Steve Kerr would not speculate on his availability for Game 4.