<p class="title">Stephen Curry drained nine three-pointers on the way to 36 points to propel the Golden State Warriors to a 116-94 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers in game one of the NBA Western Conference finals.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Curry added seven assists and six rebounds as the Warriors led all the way over a Trail Blazers team coming off a game-seven victory over Denver in the second round on Sunday.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Klay Thompson added 26 points and provided an imposing defensive presence as the Warriors shrugged off the absence of injured superstar Kevin Durant.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Draymond Green added 12 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, two steals and three blocked shots for the two-time defending NBA champions, who are playing in their fifth straight Western Conference final.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Trail Blazers connected on just 36.1 percent of their shots from the field, making just seven of 28 three-point attempts as the Warriors drained 17 from beyond the arc.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Portland star Damian Lillard hit just four of 12 shots to score 19 points with six assists, four rebounds, and seven turnovers.</p>.<p class="bodytext">CJ McCollum, who starred as Lillard struggled in game seven against the Nuggets, scored 17 points on seven-of-19 shooting.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"The schedule favored us," acknowledged Golden State coach Steve Kerr, whose Warriors polished off the Houston Rockets on Friday.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"I thought we took advantage of the situation and got off to a good start."</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Warriors pushed their lead to 10 in the second quarter before Portland put together a run that trimmed the deficit to 48-45.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Curry answered with a pair of late three-pointers, abetted by a Lillard turnover to send the Warriors to the locker-room leading 54-45.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Trail Blazers made another push in the third period, cutting a 17-point deficit to six, but the Warriors reserves opened strong in the fourth quarter to rebuild the cushion in a stretch that Kerr called key.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Warriors will try to double their advantage in the best-of-seven series when they host game two on Thursday. They are again expected to be without two-time NBA Finals MVP Durant, who has a right calf strain.</p>
<p class="title">Stephen Curry drained nine three-pointers on the way to 36 points to propel the Golden State Warriors to a 116-94 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers in game one of the NBA Western Conference finals.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Curry added seven assists and six rebounds as the Warriors led all the way over a Trail Blazers team coming off a game-seven victory over Denver in the second round on Sunday.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Klay Thompson added 26 points and provided an imposing defensive presence as the Warriors shrugged off the absence of injured superstar Kevin Durant.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Draymond Green added 12 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, two steals and three blocked shots for the two-time defending NBA champions, who are playing in their fifth straight Western Conference final.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Trail Blazers connected on just 36.1 percent of their shots from the field, making just seven of 28 three-point attempts as the Warriors drained 17 from beyond the arc.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Portland star Damian Lillard hit just four of 12 shots to score 19 points with six assists, four rebounds, and seven turnovers.</p>.<p class="bodytext">CJ McCollum, who starred as Lillard struggled in game seven against the Nuggets, scored 17 points on seven-of-19 shooting.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"The schedule favored us," acknowledged Golden State coach Steve Kerr, whose Warriors polished off the Houston Rockets on Friday.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"I thought we took advantage of the situation and got off to a good start."</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Warriors pushed their lead to 10 in the second quarter before Portland put together a run that trimmed the deficit to 48-45.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Curry answered with a pair of late three-pointers, abetted by a Lillard turnover to send the Warriors to the locker-room leading 54-45.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Trail Blazers made another push in the third period, cutting a 17-point deficit to six, but the Warriors reserves opened strong in the fourth quarter to rebuild the cushion in a stretch that Kerr called key.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Warriors will try to double their advantage in the best-of-seven series when they host game two on Thursday. They are again expected to be without two-time NBA Finals MVP Durant, who has a right calf strain.</p>