Durant likely out through Game 2
FIRST PERIOD: 1, Boston, Grzelcyk 2 (Coyle, Johansson), 15:22. Boston, DeBrusk 3 (Pastrnak, Krug), 18:32 (pp). Penalties: Chara, BOS, (tripping), 11:56, Williams, CAR, (tripping), 18:26. SECOND PERIOD: 3, Boston, Clifton 1 (Johansson, Heinen), 3:46. Boston, Grzelcyk 3 (Coyle, Krug), 17:56 (pp). Penalties: Bergeron, BOS, (tripping), 1:09, Wagner, BOS, (holding), 13:36, Williams, CAR, (holding), 16:07.
THIRD PERIOD: 5, Boston, Backes 2 (Krejci, Krug), 1:10. 6, Boston, Heinen 2 (Bergeron, Coyle), 4:32. Carolina, Williams 4 (Faulk, Aho), 11:17. Carolina, Teravainen 7, 17:32.
Penalty: Bergeron, BOS, (tripping), 2:22. SHOTS ON GOAL: Carolina 6-11-6—23. Boston 11-10-4—25.
POWER PLAYS: Carolina
GOALIES: A:
OAKLAND, Calif. — Kevin Durant watched from home in the Bay Area as the Warriors finished off James Harden and the Rockets on the road.
The two-time reigning NBA Finals MVP has a bit more cheerleading to do before he gets back on the court.
Durant is likely to miss Games 1 and 2 of the Western Conference finals against the Trail Blazers while he recovers from a strained right calf. Durant was injured in Game 5 against the Rockets.
“Everyone needs to slow down a little bit on the Kevin stuff. He hasn’t even stepped on the floor yet,” coach Steve Kerr said Monday, a day before Game 1, noting a more extensive update would come Thursday.
The Warriors showed they can win without KD: Stephen Curry came alive at last in the second half of the clincher in Houston, scoring all 33 of his points after the break.
Curry and Splash Brother Klay Thompson will look to build off strong performances in that final game against the Rockets to lead the top-seeded Warriors. The two-time defending champions are seeking a fifth straight trip to the NBA Finals.
They will face another formidable backcourt with Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum when the best-ofseven series begins Tuesday night at Oracle Arena.
There are several intriguing storylines in this matchup, too, like Blazers star Damian Lillard coming home to Oakland with a chance to shine on the big stage in the final season at Oracle before the Warriors move across the bay to play in San Francisco next season.
And how about the Curry brothers? Steph’s little brother, Seth, plays for the Blazers.
Curry texted his little brother over the weekend to let him know they’d see each other soon.
The Currys have played many times, just not on the postseason stage.
“He said, ‘I’ll see you Tuesday.’ I’m looking forward to it,” said Seth, who’s in his first season with the Blazers. “It’s going to be a lot of fun. It’s hard to believe right now. So many years I’ve watched Steph play in the Western Conference finals, the NBA Finals, being in the crowd. It’s going to be fun to be out there on the court, competing, to get to that final. It’s a dream come true for us, but our families are going to have a lot of fun as well.”
Even if a tad bit torn. Their parents will flip a coin, with Dell and Sonya each sporting one son’s gear depending on the result.
Their sister, Sydel, posted on Twitter shortly after the Blazers won: “Engage.(hash)NeutralNancy lol.”
The Warriors swept the Blazers in the first round two years ago during a remarkable 16-1 postseason run.
Lillard missed his first six 3-point tries Sunday then swished one midway through the fourth when the Blazers needed him most. The Blazers overcame a 17-point deficit in Denver to outlast the Nuggets for a 100-96 win.
They have reached their first conference final since 2000, when the Blazers lost in seven games to Kobe Bryant and the eventual champion Lakers. College football: Next season’s Orange Bowl is moving to Dec. 30, with a prime-time kickoff, after originally being scheduled to be played New Year’s Day afternoon.
Golf: U.S. Ryder Cup captain Steve Stricker shot a final-round 4-under 68 to claim a four-stroke victory at the weather-delayed Tradition in Birmingham, Ala. It was the first PGA Tour Champions major for the 52-year-old Stricker won 12 times on the PGA Tour but never won a regular major.
Hockey: Ducks center Ryan Kesler, 34, underwent right hip resurfacing surgery last week and likely will miss next season. Kesler, 34, a former Selke Award winner and a two-time All-Star, underwent major hip surgery after the 2016-17 season . ... Dylan Larkin scored with 1:13 left in OT to lift the U.S. to a 3-2 group-play victory over Finland at the world championship in Kosice, Slovakia.
Horse racing: Jockey Luis Saez was suspended for 15 days for failing to control Maximum Security and causing interference that resulted in the horse’s DQ as the Kentucky Derby winner. Saez will appeal.
NBA: Suns F Josh Jackson was arrested in Miami on Friday and faces a felony charge of escape and a misdemeanor charge of resisting arrest after he attempted to enter the VIP area at a music festival too many times without a proper pass.
NFL: Longtime coach Gunther Cunningham died Saturday after a brief illness. He was 72. Cunningham spent most of his career as an assistant, but he went 16-16 from 1999-2000 as Chiefs head coach.
Tennis: Four-time tournament champ Serena Williams beat Swedish qualifier Rebecca Peterson 6-4, 6-2 in the first round of the Italian Open in Rome. It was Williams’ first match since withdrawing ahead of her third-round match at the Miami Open in March because of a left knee injury.