Warriors crush Rockets, reach 2nd round; Blazers, Hornets secure series lead

OAKLAND, California — Golden State rolled into the second round of the NBA playoffs without injured superstar Stephen Curry, thoroughly embarrassing the Houston Rockets 114-81 on Wednesday (Thursday in Manila) to clinch the series 4-1.

 

Klay Thompson scored 27 points with seven 3-pointers and Draymond Green added 15 points, nine rebounds and eight assists for the Warriors, who will face the winner of the Los Angeles Clippers-Portland Trail Blazers series.

 

Portland leads that series 3-2 after winning at Los Angeles, while Charlotte won narrowly at Miami to also take a 3-2 series lead.

 

Golden State, without their MVP Curry, relied on his fellow 'Splash Brother' in Thompson to set the tone from the opening tip. Thompson became the first player in NBA history to make at least seven 3s in consecutive playoff games, while Shaun Livingston scored 16 points for his third double-digit performance in three games while starting in Curry's place this series.

 

James Harden scored 25 of Houston's 37 first-half points on the way to 35 points, but the Rockets had no chance with a one-man show against the deep defending champions.

 

Portland's CJ McCollum scored 27 points to lead the Trail Blazers to a 108-98 win at the Clippers.

 

Damian Lillard added 16 of his 22 in the fourth quarter when Portland pulled away, and the Trail Blazers capitalized on the absence of injured Chris Paul and Blake Griffin to beat Los Angeles.

 

The Blazers are up 3-2 and could close it out Friday in Portland. If Game 7 is needed, it would be Saturday back at Staples Center.

 

Maurice Harkless added 19 points and 10 rebounds, and Mason Plumlee had 10 points and 15 boards for Portland. The Blazers made six 3-pointers in the fourth, with Lillard hitting five of his six as they outscored the Clippers 37-27.

 

JJ Redick led the Clippers with 19 points. Jamal Crawford, the Sixth Man of the Year, added 17 points starting in Paul's place. Jeff Green also had 17 off the bench and DeAndre Jordan had 16 points and 17 rebounds.

 

Charlotte's Courtney Lee sank a 3-pointer with 25.2 seconds left to put the visitors ahead to stay, and the Hornets beat Miami 90-88 in Game 5.

 

The Hornets have won three straight games in the series, and will take a 3-2 lead into a potential Game 6 clincher on Friday (Saturday in Manila).

 

Marvin Williams led the Hornets with 17 points, while Al Jefferson and Kemba Walker each had 14 for Charlotte — which got its first road playoff win in 14 years. Jeremy Lin added 11.

 

Dwyane Wade scored 25 for Miami, while Luol Deng scored 15, Joe Johnson added 13 and Hassan Whiteside finished with 11 points and 12 rebounds.