OAKLAND, Calif., Sporting Alert — Kevin Durant scored 32 points and finished with a double-double and the Golden State Warriors pulled away late to beat the Portland Trail Blazers 121-109 in Game 1 of the NBA playoff first round on Sunday.
Durant, who recently returned from a long injury setback, was extremely efficient, as he shot 12-of-20 from the floor and grabbed 10 rebounds in his playoff debut with the Warriors.
Draymond Green of the Golden State WarriorsStephen Curry added 29 points and Draymond Green had 19 points, 12 rebounds, nine assists, three steals and five blocks for the Warriors, who pulled away in the fourth quarter.
Klay Thompson with 15 points and Ian Clark with 12 off the bench, also finished in double-digit scoring at Oracle Arena.
CJ McCollum, who had a monster opening two quarters after he tied Blazers’ playoff record for points in a half with 27 points, finished with playoff career-high 41 points for Portland.
McCollum also grabbed eight rebounds, as he and Damian Lillard, who added 34 points, combined for 75 of the Trail Blazers’ total points.
Golden State and Portland went into the break locked at 56-56, with McCollum (27) and Lillard (21) combining to score 48 of their team’s first-half points. The rest of the Trail Blazers team combined for eight.
The Warriors led 105-99 with 5:16 left in the game, but pulled away to build the lead to 16 points late.
