The Warriors wasted no time in overtaking the Trail Blazers because they needed a victory to guarantee themselves a spot in the playoffs.
With a 157-101 thrashing of the visiting Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday afternoon, the Golden State Warriors secured a position in the Western Conference playoffs thanks to Stephen Curry’s 26 points in 22 minutes and a record-setting first quarter.
The Golden State Warriors crushed the Portland Trail Blazers 157-101 on Sunday afternoon to win a spot in the Western Conference playoffs behind Stephen Curry’s 26 points in 22 minutes and a record-setting first quarter.
The Warriors finished in sixth position in the West after scoring from all 13 of their players. Los Angeles held the tiebreaker to clinch the fifth seed despite the fact that the Clippers had won at Phoenix and finished tied with Golden State. The Warriors’ first-round playoff matchup is against the third-seeded Kings.
All five Trail Blazers starters reached the 20-point mark, with Skylar Mays leading the way with 21 points. Mays contributed a game-high 12 assists as well. Jeenathan Williams scored 17 points for Portland, while Shaedon Sharpe added 18 points and a team-high seven rebounds.
Suns 114, Clippers 119
With a victory over Phoenix, Los Angeles, which was in town, clinched the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference playoffs thanks to the contributions of reserve players Norman Powell, Kawhi Leonard, and Russell Westbrook, who each contributed 25 points.
Phoenix was led by Saben Lee, who had a season-high nine assists and a career-high 25 points. Landry Shamet had 14, Josh Okogie had 13, Terrence Ross had 13, Jock Landale had 15, and Darius Bazley had 16 points to lead the way. Deandre Ayton, Devin Booker, Chris Paul, and Kevin Durant were all given rest by the Suns.
Pelicans 108, Timberwolves 113
With a victory over New Orleans in Minneapolis thanks to Karl-Anthony Towns’ 30 points, Minnesota moved up to eighth place going into the Western Conference play-in round.
