CJ McCollum (41 points) and Lillard (34 points) were superb, but while the Warriors could turn to their bench for a spark in the fourth, it was a struggle for anyone off Portland's bench to make an impact. He sprained the MCL in his right knee slipping on a wet spot during Game 4 of the first round previous year at Houston and missed the first three games against the Blazers in the Western Conference semifinals before coming off the bench in the fourth.
Meanwhile, it was business as usual for the Golden State Warriors who had five players finish in double figures in scoring.
BULLS 106, CELTRICKS 102: Jimmy Butler had 30 points and nine rebounds and Chicago outlasted Boston in Game 1 on Sunday on an emotional night for grieving Celtics star Isaiah Thomas.
"Draymond had an impact on the game at the rim and in the paint", Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts said.
Draymond Green contributed 19 points, 12 rebounds, nine assists and five blocked shots to help last season's second-place team take the first step in a possible championship run. Despite Durant scoring 32 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in that 121-109 win, he's not a lock play in Game 2.
A calf strain has Durant questionable for the Warriors' Game 2 tilt against the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday night in Oakland.
U.S. warned of retaliation after missile attack on Syria
The kingdom is among the most vehement opponents of Assad and supports Sunni rebel groups fighting to oust him. U.S. officials informed Russian forces ahead of the missile strikes and avoided hitting Russian personnel.
Both plays sent the home crowd into a frenzy and Green into a series of muscle poses which made sense, considering he'd essentially bullied the Blazers.
"For me, it's just going to make me raise the level of my game because I take [Green's trash talk] as a challenge", Lillard said. "It could. We'll see how everybody is doing tomorrow and give you an update".
But Green tipped in a Curry miss and Durant followed with three consecutive hoops, opening Golden State's biggest lead of the game, 113-99, with 3:36 to go.
The Golden State Warriors got an immediate challenge in this year's National Basketball Association playoffs. "But if you've got that in your back pocket, that's always good to go to, I think".
Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum combined for 48 of the team's 56 points in the first half, and for the game the two combined for 75 points. But instead, the Warriors pounced in that early fourth quarter pocket. "I mean, he played a game that I'm not sure anybody else in the league is capable of, honestly". The big man from Bosnia missed the final seven games of the regular season with a nondisplaced fracture in his right leg, depleting the Blazers' already thin frontcourt. Portland has lost 11 of the last 12 including playoffs to Golden State. The 16 field goal attempts Green faced were the most on the Warriors.
The NBA Playoffs is living up to its name as multiple teams showed that every game is important.
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