Curry, Durant lead Warriors past Trail Blazers
OAKLAND, Calif. -- Shaun Livingston had a dunk, Draymond Green a block and Stephen Curry a 3-pointer in a key 34-second sequence of the fourth quarter Wednesday night, helping the Golden State Warriors hold off the Portland Trail Blazers, 125-117.
Curry totaled 35 points and Kevin Durant 30 as Golden State (31-5) made it three straight wins this season over the Trail Blazers (15-22).
Portland managed to make things interesting against the two-time defending Western Conference champions without star point guard Damian Lillard, who missed a fifth straight game with sprained left ankle.
Riding a big night from CJ McCollum, who matched Curry's 35-point output, the Trail Blazers hung within 113-107 with 4:52 to go before a turnover and missed shot by Mason Plumlee prevented them from getting closer.
The Warriors pushed the lead to eight when Livingston got behind the Portland defense for a dunk with 3:43 remaining.
Then, after Green rejected Allen Crabbe at the rim, Curry bombed in his fifth 3-pointer of the night, extending the Golden State lead to 118-107 with just 3:09 to go.
Portland never got closer than eight the rest of the way.
Curry hit 12 of his 25 shots en route to his ninth 30-point game of the season.
Durant shot 9-for-16 from the floor as Golden State made good on 50.6 percent of their shots.
Klay Thompson chipped in with 14 points and Green, who battled foul trouble all night, had a game-high 11 assists to complement nine points and seven rebounds for the Warriors, who won their ninth in a row at home.
McCollum needed 31 shots to get his 35 points. He made four of his 11 3-point attempts, helping the Trail Blazers (12-for-26) nearly duplicate Golden State's 3-point output (13-for-36).
Five other Trail Blazers scored in double figures, including Crabbe with 18 points and Plumlee with a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double.
Plumlee was the game's leading rebounder.
McCollum had 26 of his points in the first half, when the Trail Blazers stunned the Warriors with 9-for-15 long-range shooting to walk off with a 71-69 halftime lead.
McCollum (three), Crabbe (two) and Moe Harkless (two) combined for seven 3-pointers in the flurry, during which Portland fell behind by as many as 13 before shooting its way into the halftime advantage.
The Warriors led 54-47 with 4:34 remaining in the half before the Trail Blazers buried nine straight shots to surge into a 71-63 lead. McCollum had a pair of 3-pointers and three two-point hoops, contributing 12 points to the 24-9 explosion.
NOTES: Portland PG Damian Lillard (sprained left ankle) is considered "day-to-day," meaning he has yet to be ruled out of the Trail Blazers' game Thursday night against the Los Angeles Lakers. ... The Warriors' 45-point win over Portland in their Dec. 17 meeting was the largest in the 220-game history over the rivalry. ... Coaches Terry Stotts of the Trail Blazers and Steve Kerr of the Warriors had different responses when asked about the NBA's high-scoring trend this season. Noted Stotts: "What we see today is a culmination of when they changed the rules in 2001. That was radical at the time, and there's no question the game is better because of it." Countered Kerr: "I would like to have a better way to defend. I was watching (Tuesday) night. I had to text (Lakers coach) Luke (Walton). (Memphis guard) Mike Conley took five steps on the play and got an and-one. Not only will we let you travel, but we will give you the benefit of that touch at the end."