Golden State Warriors is off to a hot start in the Western Conference finals.
Golden State secured a 116-94 victory against Portland on Tuesday behind a tremendous performance from Stephen Curry. He showcased his full arsenal in the contest, including some impressive dribbling and touch at the rim.
Curry exploded for a game-high 36 points on nine made 3-pointers while Klay Thompson contributed 26 points.
Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum were relatively cold in Game 1, but Moe Harkless elevated his play to help Portland by pouring in 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting.
The Warriors, who now hold a 1-0 lead, will host the Trail Blazers in Game 2 on Thursday at 9 p.m.
Portland's stars were duds
Lillard and McCollum both need to show up to make this series competitive but the two combined to score 36 points on 11-of-31 shooting. They also tallied 10 turnovers between them.
If they cannot come close to the 54 points per game they have been averaging in the playoffs, the Trail Blazers will not have a shot.
Stephen Curry has found his stroke
Curry's shooting has been streaky at times during the postseason, but he caught fire against Portland.
The two-time NBA MVP has acknowledged the dislocated finger he suffered against the Houston Rockets has caused some discomfort, but it did not appear to be a factor in the Warriors' big victory.
Curry tallied a game-high 36 points and knocked down nine three-pointers along the way. He has taken his game up a notch in the absence of Kevin Durant, and it is doing wonders for his team.
Golden State is pushing the pace
The Warriors made a point to get out on the break against the Trail Blazers, which struggles in that area.
Golden State ranks third in fast-break points per game (16.6) in this year's playoffs while Portland ranks 15th (10.6).
The defending champion outscored Portland in transition 17-2, so the Trail Blazers should probably pick up the pace or figure out a way to slow down Golden State.
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