NBA: Durant, Curry lead Warriors to rout of Cavs, 2-0 series lead

Kevin Durant scored 33 points and grabbed 13 rebounds while Stephen Curry added 32 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists Sunday as the Golden State Warriors ripped Cleveland 132-113 in a historic second game of the NBA Finals.

The Warriors, who welcomed back coach Steve Kerr after he missed 11 games with health issues following back surgery, stretched their playoff win streak to an NBA-record 14 games by dominating the defending champion Cavaliers in the second half.

Golden State moved within two games of becoming the first NBA champion to complete an unbeaten playoff run, seizing a 2-0 edge in the best-of-seven championship series, which shifts to Cleveland for games three and four on Wednesday and Friday.

LeBron James led the Cavaliers with 29 points, 11 rebounds and 14 assists to match a record with his eighth career NBA Finals triple double. Only former Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson had eight prior finals triple doubles. No one else has more than two.

Together with Curry’s triple double, it was only the second time in playoff history that two rivals had managed triple doubles in the same game, the other coming in 1970 by New York’s Walt Frazier and Milwaukee’s Lew Alcindor, who would later change his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Curry credited his first finals triple double to the tension of the title quest and the effort needed to answer the Cavs’ challenge.

“We’re in the finals. That’s all the motivation we need,” Curry said. “We leave everything on the floor.”

Kevin Love scored 27 points for the Cavaliers while Kyrie Irving added 19 in a losing cause.

Klay Thompson added 22 points for the Warriors, with Curry saying the Warriors still have work to do to play their best.

“I could play much better,” he said. “Some good things going on but we’ve got to get better.

“We’re young. We’re hungry. We’re playing great basketball. We’ve got a great opportunity in front of us and we’ve got to seize it.”

Spectacular passes, slam dunks, deadly shots and high-leaping playmakers dominated the night as the game was played at a fast-paced, high-intensity tempo that had spectators roaring with delight.

Durant became only the third player in NBA history to score 25 points in his first seven NBA Finals appearances, joining Michael Jordan and Shaquille O’Neal.

Curry seized command in the third quarter with 12 points, seven rebounds and five assists as the Warriors stretched a 67-64 half-time lead to 102-88 entering the fourth quarter, a margin no finals team had squandered so late to lose since 1992.


From there, Golden State steadily pulled away, the Cavaliers having no answer for the Warriors speed and outside shooting.

“The second half we settled in and just tried to play better and played tougher on defense,” Durant said. “We’re just trying to play good basketball every time down the floor.”

The game turned when Curry sank a 3-pointer and two free throws, then dribbled impressively around James for a layup to cap a 10-3 run that put the Warriors ahead 83-73 early in the third.

Cleveland battled back but a steal set up a Durant fast break layup and 3-point play and Shaun Livingston followed with an uncontested dunk to ignite a 16-6 run to close the quarter.

The Cavaliers went scoreless for more than 3:30 late in the third despite Draymond Green going to the Warrior bench with a fifth personal foul.

Durant and Curry each scored 15 first-half points, but Golden State had 13 turnovers at the break after just four in the series opener.

James scored 18 points in the first half with 10 assists, his most assists in any playoff half in his career.

Tristan Thompson played fewer minutes for the Cavs, with Iman Shumpert seeing more time to help ease the defensive load on James guarding Durant.

Curry went 10-for-10 at the free throw line and scored 15 points as Golden State took a 40-34 lead in the highest-scoring NBA Finals first quarter in 50 years and the second-highest ever.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Warriors trounce Spurs minus Leonard for 2-0 series lead

OAKLAND, California — Stephen Curry had 29 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in three quarters and the Golden State Warriors trounced on the Spurs missing Kawhi Leonard, running away from San Antonio for a 136-100 rout Tuesday and 2-0 lead in the Western Conference finals.

Kevin Durant added 16 points and Draymond Green provided another strong all-around performance with 13 points, nine rebounds, six assists, two steals and two blocks. Rookie Patrick McCaw had 18 points and five assists off the bench shooting 6 for 8 as Golden State earned its most lopsided victory of the playoffs to go to 10-0.

Jonathon Simmons scored 17 of his 22 points in the first half as the lone bright spot for the short-handed Spurs.

Leonard re-injured his left ankle in Sunday’s 113-111 Game 1 loss after coming down on Zaza Pachulia’s foot. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich on Monday called out the Warriors starting center for the “dangerous” and “unsportsmanlike” closeout — which had Pachulia insisting he is not a dirty player, was only playing hard, and felt badly that the All-Star forward was injured.

Game 3 in the best-of-seven series is Saturday in San Antonio.

Pachulia left the game injured for a Warriors team already without key reserve forward Andre Iguodala, held out because of soreness in his left knee that limited him to 10 minutes in Game 1.

Pachulia didn’t come out for the second half because of a bruised right heel. He was scheduled for an X-ray. The big man played nearly 7 minutes but sat the entire second quarter before Matt Barnes took his place.

Golden State quickly established its pass-happy, up-tempo style to take the Spurs out from the opening tip. It was a drastic difference from a game of catch-up two days earlier when the Warriors rallied from 25 down and a 20-point halftime deficit.

Klay Thompson, still struggling to find his steady shooting touch, had 11 points, six rebounds and four assists. The Warriors had 39 assists — the most by any team this postseason — including 30 on their initial 38 baskets.

Shaun Livingston scored in double figures for the first time this postseason with 10 points for Golden State.

Simmons started in Leonard’s place and made 6 of 9 shots to begin the game while the rest of the Spurs were 3 for 22.

The Warriors began 10 for 16 as Curry hit three quick 3s and Green added two more for a 25-12 lead late in the first and 33-16 advantage after one quarter.

LEONARD STATUS

Popovich wasn’t about to guess whether Leonard would return in time for Saturday’s game, saying it could be Friday or even game day before that would be determined.

“I have no idea. Just depends on how the ankle heals,” Popovich said. “I’d probably list him as questionable. But the thing that worries me is that he did it again, the exact same thing. So one would logically think maybe it will take longer, but I’m hoping that’s not true and we’ll have him for Game 3. But I don’t know. I don’t think we’re going to know until Friday and Saturday, probably.”

Popovich said before the game Leonard was back at the hotel “ordering dinner.”

TIP-INS

Spurs: The Spurs had another 23 offensive rebounds after 14 in Game 1. … Patty Mills, playing in place of the injured Tony Parker, had another quiet night. After he went 1 for 8 and missed all six of his 3s in the first game, he finally hit from long range midway through the second Tuesday.

Warriors: Coach Steve Kerr attended his second game this series but again watched behind the scenes as he recovers from a May 5 procedure at Duke University to repair a spinal fluid leak. … Golden State’s 23 first-half assists were its most ever in a playoff half, topping 22 against Phoenix on May 4, 1994. The Warriors notched their fourth 30-assist game this postseason. … Curry extended his NBA record by hitting at least one 3 in his 68th straight postseason game, every one he has played.

source: sports.inquirer.net