OAKLAND — Without Kevin Durant, Shaun Livingston and Matt Barnes, the Golden State Warriors cruised to an impressive 110-81 Game 2 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.
The best player on the court Wednesday at Oracle Arena was JaVale McGee. Without question.
The 7-footer continued to give unbelievable effort around the rim on offense and defense, scoring 15 points on 7-of-7 shooting in 13 minutes — and he added 4 blocked shots. His touch with the ball is soft and his aggressiveness without it is breathtaking. The pace of the game receives an undeniable jolt every time McGee touches the floor. He’s been an unexpected problem for Portland. McGee might just be scratching the surface of what he’s capable of. Portland was standing on the train tracks and McGee ran right over them.
The Warriors used an 18-2 run in the first quarter and a 40-16 run in the second and third quarters to earn a 29-point win. It was the largest postseason margin of victory since Golden State beat Cleveland 110-77 in Game 2 of the NBA Finals last season. The starters were pulled for nearly the entire fourth quarter. Playing Durant clearly wasn’t necessary. Golden State now leads the series 2-0.
Couple those potent scoring runs with a quiet night from Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum (23 combined points) and the Trail Blazers really stood no chance. Portland shot 9-of-31 from downtown, committed 17 turnovers and will be kicking themselves on the flight back to Oregon for not taking advantage of Durant’s absence. The game turned real ugly in the third quarter, where the Warriors outscored Portland 28-12 — the lowest scoring total in a quarter EVER from a Warriors opponent in the postseason. Wild.
The most encouraging sign: This was not a game where either Steph Curry or Klay Thompson dominated and the victory still came in blowout fashion. This win was mostly organic with strong defense and slick transition offense. There was a moment in the first quarter that got the ball rolling. Draymond Green (6 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assist), Thompson and Curry all hit back-to-back-to-back 3-pointers, turning a 9-6 deficit into a 15-9 lead. Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts immediately called timeout and Portland continued to force shots on offense. Curry finished with 19 points on just 6-of-18 shooting; Thompson turned in 16 points on 6-of-17 shooting.
Zaza Pachulia’s contributions should not go lost in the shuffle, either. The center had 6 big first quarter points to set the tone and was constantly winning position underneath the hoop. Ian Clark added 13 points off the bench, continuing to be a thorn in Portland’s side. Rookie center Damian Jones appeared in his first career playoff game. Andre Iguodala grabbed 10 rebounds.
The second quarter was where the game momentarily slipped away from Golden State. With McGee on the bench, the Warriors lost focus on offense and started chucking shots. The Trail Blazers cashed in on a 25-10 run, cutting the lead down to 43-42. Obviously, those good Portland vibes did not last.
Game 3 is set for 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Moda Center. It’s still up in the air if Durant (left calf strain), Livingston (right index finger, hand contusion) or Barnes (right foot/ankle sprain) will be available to play.
