Warriors vs Trail Blazers: Game 4 Score, Twitter Reaction from 2016 NBA Playoffs

MVPs don't experience rust like the rest of the world. 

Stephen Curry returned to the floor Monday for the first time since spraining his right MCL in the first round against the Houston Rockets and proceeded to score 40 points and lead the Golden State Warriors to a 132-125 overtime victory over the Portland Trail Blazers in Game 4.

Golden State now leads the series 3-1.

Curry saved his best for when it mattered the most Monday, scoring 17 points on 6-of-7 shooting in overtime alone, per Ben Golliver of Sports Illustrated. The Trail Blazers as a team scored 14 points in overtime but couldn't keep up with No. 30:

All this came on a day when Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported Curry will be named the MVP for the second straight year, and he looked the part during Golden State's win.

He did receive some help from his running mates, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson. Green finished with 21 points, nine rebounds, seven blocks, five assists and four steals in an incredible all-around effort, while Thompson added 23 points behind five made three-pointers. 

The Trail Blazers received 36 points and 10 assists from Damian Lillard and 24 points from C.J. McCollum, but it was not enough to overtake Curry in the extra period.

While he was unstoppable in overtime, Curry didn't start the game, and Portland took full advantage as it seized a 16-2 lead before he even stepped onto the floor. 

The Trail Blazers extended the lead to 21-5, but Curry's presence helped Golden State trim the deficit to 26-18 by the end of the first quarter.

Curry air-balled an early three, much to Portland's delight:

Portland maintained momentum early in the second quarter, but Kevin Pelton of ESPN.com warned its fans: "The Warriors played Portland even with Curry, Green and Thompson all on the bench, which has to be considered a huge win."

Golden State then went on a 10-0 run to cut a 48-35 Portland lead to 48-45 with less the four minutes until halftime. However, the Trail Blazers responded and took a 67-57 lead into the locker room, although that was far from Golden State's only concern.

Shaun Livingston was ejected in the second quarter after picking up two technical fouls when he argued he was hit in the head on a layup attempt.

"Looks like Livingston did get hit in the head right there," Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group observed. "Don't know what Livingston said but surprised that second T came so quick."

Andy Glockner of The Cauldron criticized official Scott Foster's handling of the situation:

As a result, Curry had to start the second half and perhaps play more minutes than Golden State head coach Steve Kerr intended in his first game back. While Curry's conditioning was a reason for worry at the time, Green stepped up and helped the Warriors take their first lead of the game, 79-78, with 3:45 left in the third.

He blocked Lillard and Mason Plumlee at the rim on two straight possessions, the second of which set up a Thompson three from the corner to give the Warriors the advantage:

The Warriors took an 86-85 lead into the fourth, even though Curry was 0-of-9 from three-point range, but Sean Highkin of Bleacher Report recognized the MVP was doing more than shooting:

It looked like Golden State was going to gradually pull away from Portland after Curry hit a step-back jumper to make it 92-87, but McCollum drilled two consecutive threes. Al-Farouq Aminu followed with a long-range shot of his own, and just like that, it was 96-95 in favor of the Trail Blazers. 

Curry, Lillard and Thompson got in on the three-point shooting, and Trail Blazers digital reporter Casey Holdahl summarized the battle as Golden State built a 103-102 lead with 4:20 left:

Portland landed one of those blows when Lillard launched a three from downtown to give the Trail Blazers a 105-103 advantage. ESPN.com's Bill Barnwell thought Lillard's shot resembled the other side:

Lillard and Curry played the role of facilitators for the next few baskets (one of which was a vicious dunk by Green), and the game was tied at 111 in the final minute. However, both star guards missed shots in the last 30 seconds that could have won it, and the back-and-forth affair went into overtime. 

That is when Curry went into takeover mode. He scored Golden State's first 12 points in overtime and capped it off with a deep three to put the defending champions ahead 123-118. He let the crowd know about it too, per Marc J. Spears of ESPN's The Undefeated:

Just for good measure, Curry hit another ridiculous three to make it 128-120 with 1:05, ending the game and Portland's realistic hope of upsetting the Warriors in the second round.

Troy Renck of the Denver Post thought Curry "turned OT into pop-a-shot," and the Trail Blazers never had a chance to stop it.

What's Next?

Game 5 will take place Wednesday in Golden State, and the Warriors will have the opportunity to close out the series and Portland's season on their home court.

The Warriors were 39-2 at Oracle Arena this season and have Curry in full-on MVP mode once again after his performance in overtime Monday. It would be a surprise at this point if the series comes back to Portland for Game 6, but the Trail Blazers have to take solace in the fact that they almost won Game 4 in spite of Curry's presence.

Perhaps they can steal Game 5 and make this a competitive series again with a few well-timed defensive stops down the stretch.

As for Golden State, the realization that Curry is back and healthy is more important than even his brilliance in overtime. The goal is to win a title, not just beat Portland, and the Curry whom fans saw Monday gives the team the best chance to do that. 

Postgame Reaction

Kerr ended any speculation about his lineup for Game 5 after Monday’s win, per ESPN’s Rachel Nichols: “I just want to make an announcement: Steph will start on Wednesday night, in case anyone was wondering.”

Columnist Art Spander also noted, “Kerr said he turned to Luke Walton and gasped, ‘Wow, can you believe this?’”

Lillard praised Curry for his performance, per Spears: “He's the MVP again for a reason.”

Lillard also gave Portland fans something to look forward to in Game 5, per Jay Allen of Fox Sports Radio 620: “There's not going to be any rollin' over.”

Green had a different opinion when asked if he thought Portland was done in the series, per Spears: “Of course I think they're done. It's time for us to close the series.”

The Warriors will do so if Curry plays again like he did Monday. He commented on his status, per the San Jose Mercury News’ Fast Break: “I had a little soreness left. I honestly wasn't 100 percent, but I felt good enough to come off the bench.”

Portland probably doesn’t want to see what he’s like at full strength.