LOS ANGELES – Regardless of how poor their season has been, the Golden State Warriors are still the reigning National Basketball Association (NBA) champions, and they made sure every team knew that on Sunday.
Playing on the road in Portland, they roared into the NBA play-offs with a 157-101 blowout of the Trail Blazers, ensuring the Los Angeles Lakers will battle in the play-in despite a 128-117 victory over the Utah Jazz.
The Warriors had only one target in mind, and they set a league record of 55 points in the first quarter en route to securing the sixth seed in the Western Conference.
“We’ve played really well the last couple of weeks,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said on ESPN.
“We’ve won eight of 10. Today, guys were locked in right from the beginning. Guys knew what was at stake and controlled the game from the opening tap, so hopefully that carries over to next week.”
All teams were in action on the final day of the regular season, but the focus was on the Western Conference, where more than a dozen potential seeding outcomes rested on the results of four games.
The Warriors moved quickly to simplify matters for themselves, exploding in the first period. Klay Thompson made five of the team’s 12 three-pointers in the period – also a record for treys by any team in an NBA quarter.
Thompson – who finished with six three-pointers and 20 points – became the third player in NBA history to hit 300 three-pointers and more in a single season. Teammate Stephen Curry has done it four times and James Harden has done it once.
Golden State led by 28 after the first quarter, and Curry took over with 10 of his 26 points in the second as the Warriors took an 84-53 half-time lead.
They coasted home, with all the Warriors starters sitting out the fourth period.
“It’s been a very up-and-down season but, when you get to the play-offs, none of that matters. The real season starts (now). And that’s what matters,” said Golden State talisman Draymond Green, after they clinched a first-round play-off series against the third-seeded Sacramento Kings.
The Los Angeles Clippers snagged the fifth seeding with a 119-114 victory over the fourth-seeded Phoenix Suns – and the teams will meet again in the first round.
The Lakers, meanwhile, finished seventh and will host the Minnesota Timberwolves in the play-in on Tuesday, the winners advancing to the play-offs as the seventh seed in the West.
LeBron James drained eight three-pointers on the way to 36 points for the Lakers, who started the season 2-10 but have clawed their way to a post-season shot.
Anthony Davis had 16 points and pulled down 13 rebounds, and D’Angelo Russell added 17 points for the Lakers, who have won nine of their last 11 games.
“Our team is very well put together,” James said.
“We got a lot of good balance. We did a good job of putting together a team that fits around AD and myself after the break. We’re just trying to make it happen on the floor.”
The Timberwolves snatched the eighth spot from New Orleans with a tumultuous 113-108 win over the Pelicans. If they lose to the Lakers, they can still reach the play-offs by beating the winners of the play-in game between the Pelicans and Oklahoma City Thunder.
With seeding settled in the East going into Sunday’s games, there was little drama. The Philadelphia 76ers beat the Brooklyn Nets 134-105 in a preview of their upcoming first-round play-off series.
Brooklyn guard Mikal Bridges was the only regular starter for either team to play, clocking just seconds on court. But he extended his streak of consecutive games played to 392 – a perfect record over the first five seasons of his NBA career.
He played his 83rd game of the 82-game season – gaining an extra match because of his February trade from Phoenix. AFP, REUTERS
