Rout of Trail Blazers signals ominous warning to title rivals

PORTLAND, Oregon - Long after the Trail Blazers had left the court on Monday night, several Golden State players continued to celebrate on the floor at Moda Center to the delight of a large contingent of yellow-clad fans chanting "War-ri-ors! War-ri-ors!"

The Western Conference quarterfinal sweep was sweet, even in Portland's house.

Stephen Curry scored 37 points as Golden State beat the Blazers 128-103 to advance to the semifinals against either the Utah Jazz or the Los Angeles Clippers, whose series is tied 2-2.

Golden State's Stephen Curry smiles after taking a foul during Monday's Game 4 of the NBA Western Conference quarterfinal against the Portland Trail Blazers. Curry had 37 points as the Warriors won 128-103 to complete a sweep. Jaime Valdez / USA Today

The Warriors were energized despite playing for the second straight game without head coach Steve Kerr, who has been experiencing a flare-up of symptoms stemming from back surgery a couple of years ago. Assistant Mike Brown has filled in during Kerr's absence.

But the Warriors welcomed back forward Kevin Durant, who hadn't played since Game 1 because of a strained left calf. He started and the Warriors built a 72-48 advantage by halftime.

Golden State pushed its lead to 33 points in the second half. Curry swished a 31-foot 3-pointer that made it 104-77 late in the third quarter and the Blazers couldn't catch up.

Durant finished with 10 points in just under 21 minutes, and all of Golden State's starters scored in double figures.

"That was unbelievable. Our guys were locked in on both ends of the floor," Brown said.

"I wish I could say this one thing or that one thing was really good, but everything we tried to do, we tried to do it on a high level.

"It was fun to watch. Fun to be a part of."

Damian Lillard scored 34 points for the Blazers, who were making their fourth straight appearance in the playoffs.

The crowd gave Lillard a standing ovation when he came out with 6:12 to play.

Last season, the Warriors defeated the Blazers 4-1 in the second round. Curry missed the first three games of that series with a sprained MCL in his right knee, but returned in time to take the series back home and advance.

The Warriors, who won the NBA title in 2015, fell to the Cleveland Cavaliers in seven games in the Finals last year.

The Warriors were still without Matt Barnes (right ankle/foot sprain), and Shaun Livingston (sprained right index finger). Livingston hasn't played since Game 1 and Barnes has been sidelined the whole series.

The Blazers led Game 3 by as many as 17 points in the first half - sparked by the return of big man Jusuf Nurkic. But the lead slipped away in the third and the deeper Warriors prevailed 119-113.

Nurkic, who missed the final seven games of the regular season and the first two playoff games because of a fracture in his right leg, finished with two points and 11 rebounds. He was ruled out of Monday's game.

The Warriors jumped out to a 14-0 lead at the start. Durant's dunk extended the lead to 22-3 and the rout was on. JaVale McGee made a highlight-reel alley oop en route to a 45-22 lead after the opening quarter.

"We knew if we threw the first punch, we knew that it would overwhelm them a bit, especially being up 3-0," Durant said.

It was the most points ever in a quarter for Golden State in a playoff game, and matched the NBA record for most first-quarter points in a playoff game.

Lillard shouldered most of the burden for the Blazers with 21 points in the half, but backcourt partner CJ McCollum was scoreless on 0-for-7 shooting and Portland trailed 72-48 at the break.

"They came out really energized, focused. They showed their championship pedigree," Blazers coach Terry Stotts said.

"We were slow to react and we just couldn't get it going. We didn't play nearly as well as we needed to, and they showed why they're a championship team."

The Warriors maintained their furious pace in the third quarter and Curry's 3-pointer increased their massive lead to 91-58.

"We're very confident about who we are and how we're going to be successful," Curry said.

The previous time Golden State swept a playoff series was in 2015 against New Orleans. The Warriors have swept six series, but this was their third four-game romp.

Associated Press