Stephen Ellison

Warriors Set Pace Early, Make Easy Work of Blazers in Game 2

OAKLAND -- Staggering and stumbling and at times appearing utterly disoriented, the Warriors summoned more than enough Wednesday night to drill the even wobblier Portland Trail Blazers.

With backup center JaVale McGee restoring order to the proceedings, the Warriors rolled to a 110-81 rout of Portland at Oracle Arena to take a 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven first-round Western Conference playoff series.

Stephen Curry put in 19 points to lead the Warriors in scoring, while Klay Thompson had 16, McGee 15, Ian Clark 13 and Zaza Pachulia 10.

Playing without Kevin Durant, Shaun Livingston and Matt Barnes, the Warriors outrebounded the Blazers 54-47 and limited them to 33.3-percent shooting from the field, including 20.6 percent (7-of-34) beyond the arc.

The Warriors overcame 17 turnovers, off which the Blazers scored 20 points. Portland, however, had 19 giveaways, off which the Warriors scored 20 points.

Poor shooting by Curry (6-of-18) and Thompson (6-of-17) was more than offset by a forgettable night by Portland guards Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, who combined for 75 points in Game 1 but on this night totaled 23 on 9-of-34 shooting.

All 11 available Warriors entered the game and got on the scoreboard.

STANDOUT PERFORMER: The Warriors received outstanding play from all their big men, but the key points of this game were decorated with McGee’s fingerprints.

McGee’s line: 15 points (7-of-7 shooting from the field, 1-of-1 from the line), five rebounds, four blocks and one steal. He played 13 minutes and finished plus-19.

TURNING POINT: After Portland trimmed a 16-point deficit to one in the second quarter, the Warriors put together runs closing the first half and opening the second to reassert themselves.

When Evan Turner drilled a 3-pointer to pull the Blazers to 43-42 with 3:38 left in the quarter, the Warriors closed the half on a 12-4 run to take a 55-46 lead into intermission.

The Warriors opened the second half with a 7-0 run, going up 62-46 on a Curry layup with 10:13 left in the third quarter. They held Portland to 12 points in the third, tied for the fewest in a playoff game by any Warriors opponent in the shot-clock era.

Portland got no closer than 14 over the final 22 minutes.

INJURY UPDATE: Warriors: F Matt Barnes (R ankle/foot sprain), F Kevin Durant (L calf strain) and G Shaun Livingston (R index finger sprain/hand contusion) were listed as questionable and downgraded to out before tipoff. F Kevon Looney (L hip strain) was listed as out.

Trail Blazers: G Allen Crabbe (L foot soreness) and G CJ McCollum (R ankle sprain) were listed as probable and upgraded to available. C Ed Davis (L shoulder surgery), C Festus Ezeli (L knee surgery) and C Jusuf Nurkic (R leg fracture) were listed as out.

WHAT’S NEXT: The teams return to action Saturday night for Game 3 at Moda Center in Portland. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:35.

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