Trail Blazers vs Warriors: Game 1 Score, Twitter Reaction from 2016 NBA Playoffs
The Golden State Warriors continued to thrive without reigning MVP Stephen Curry in Sunday's opening game of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Portland Trail Blazers, rolling to a 118-106 victory at Oracle Arena.
While Curry sat with a sprained MCL, his Splash Brothers backcourt partner, Klay Thompson, set the tone with a scorching start. Thompson netted 18 of his playoff career-high 37 points in the opening quarter, which the Warriors dominated by a score of 37-17.
Shooter McGavin summarized what Thompson and Co. did during the first 12 minutes with this fitting GIF:
Ron Kroichick of the San Francisco Chronicle highlighted how dominant the Dubs had been since Curry went down:
Draymond Green also did a commendable job picking up the slack for the defending NBA champions, stuffing the stat sheet for a triple-double with 23 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists.
The Warriors' defensive rotation was impeccable as it played with undeniable unity. Green's versatility afforded him free rein to roam and switch seamlessly, while Andrew Bogut did an exemplary job protecting the rim and altering shots in the paint.
Bogut even got into the act on offense with 10 points to go with 12 rebounds, two steals and three blocks—two of which came when Shaun Livingston set him up on a beautiful early lob:
Golden State's collective size gave Portland fits early on. Livingston started in place of Curry and was not only a savvy distributor, but his length on defense posed problems for Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard.
In addition to being contested on the perimeter by the likes of Thompson and Livingston, Lillard found life near the hoop tough as well, particularly when he challenged Green at the rim:
CBSSports.com's Matt Moore offered some advice for Lillard as he continues to try to carry his team to greater heights in the Western Conference:
Portland's guard duo of Lillard and C.J. McCollum combined to miss 15 of 18 first-half shots en route to trailing, 65-51, at the break.
CBS Sports NBA sent out a PSA to the Blazers, imploring them to have a greater sense of urgency:
WarriorsPR on Twitter indicated the hosts outscored the Blazers, 15-0, in fast-break points. That anecdote emphasized how the Dubs were able to push the pace after defensive stops and still produce despite some stagnancy in their half-court offense.
Dan Devine of Yahoo Sports commended Green for his competitive spirit as Golden State let the Blazers cut into its incredulous first-quarter lead:
Green was the tone-setter after Thompson helped the team surge ahead to begin. The dynamic forward is the clear leader in lieu of Curry and has proved capable of ensuring the Warriors keep their foot on the gas.
All five Warriors starters scored in double figures—and Green, Harrison Barnes and Bogut each grabbed at least 12 rebounds, giving the home team a 55-40 edge on the glass.
With seven three-pointers in each of his last three games, Thompson set a new playoff record with 21 treys in a three-game span, per ESPN Stats & Info, breaking Curry's record of 20.
Although Lillard finished with 30 points and played better in the second half, Portland's dynamic duo of him and McCollum must play at their peak for the underdogs to have any chance in this series.
The hope is the Blazers backcourt got over the Game 1 jitters and can bounce back for a big Game 2 on Tuesday to put some pressure back on Golden State. One silver lining to Sunday's contest for the visitors is how well their bench played, outscoring the Dubs reserves, 36-26, led by Allen Crabbe's 15 points.
In any case, the last thing Portland can afford before heading back home for Game 3 next Saturday is to be down 2-0 after competing poorly against a Curry-less Warriors squad.
Vincent Goodwill of CSN Chicago viewed the Dubs' resounding triumph as a response to the 124-92 rout the San Antonio Spurs pulled off against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday:
Golden State doesn't seem fazed by any sort of adversity. An adversary in the Blazers, who don't have many viable sources of offense outside of Lillard and McCollum, likely won't impede its march toward history.
Even if the Warriors weren't so good defensively, they could still win shootouts against Portland at least four of seven times in a series. They showed Sunday they're capable of dominating both ends of the floor, and it'll take a drastic reversal of fortune from both teams for this series to last more than five games.
Postgame Reaction
Golden State head coach Steve Kerr applauded the job Thompson did in a stupendous all-around outing.
"Klay is a tremendous two-way player and that was a really amazing night for him," said Kerr, per the Warriors' official Twitter feed. Kerr added, "There are not many guys in the league who could chase Damian Lillard around for 37 minutes and score 37 points too."
"It's a collective effort," Thompson said of his eruption on offense. "I have to give a ton of credit to my bigs, they set tremendous ball screens."
The elite 2-guard also applauded how well the Warriors shut down Portland on the front line, saying, per the San Jose Mercury News' Fast Break Twitter feed, "People don't realize how good our frontcourt is. It's the best defensive frontcourt in the NBA."
Bogut had high praise for Green, saying, per the Fast Break Twitter feed, "He's probably the best all-around player in the league at this point."
The triple-double achiever said, regarding Curry's absence from the lineup, "It was very important that everyone stepped up. That's what won us the game. Not a triple-double."
Lillard wasn't surprised Golden State didn't miss a beat without Curry in action.
"They're an elite team either way. They showed that tonight," Lillard said.
Portland coach Terry Stotts referred to how well the Blazers recovered from a 115-95 Game 1 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers in the previous round as a means of illustrating belief that his squad can turn things around.
"We got beat pretty soundly in Game 1 against the Clippers...we got better as the series went along. We need to do the same thing," Stotts said.
