PORTLAND, Ore. — A record-setting first quarter allowed the Warriors to cruise to their needed win on Sunday — and watch the rest of the West light up in chaos in the process.
Golden State secured a top-six seed in the Western Conference with their dominant 157-101 win over the undermanned Portland Trail Blazers on what was the most eventful final day of the NBA regular season in recent memory. The Warriors’ final seeding placement will be determined by the outcome of the ongoing Phoenix Suns-Los Angeles Clippers game.
Klay Thompson entered Sunday needing only five 3s to become the third NBA player to record 300 triples in a season. He wasted no time in accomplishing that feat, knocking down five of his first six shots from deep in the first five minutes. Thompson’s red-hot start as well as an explosive and aggressive Jordan Poole helped power the Warriors to 55 points, the most scored in the first quarter in league history.
The Warriors built their lead up to 31 points at the half and went to the locker room feeling pretty good about themselves. Poole cut through the media room and grabbed a handful of buttery popcorn on his way back to the court.
Coach Steve Kerr pulled the starters midway through the third. The Warriors went 27 of 49 from beyond the arc, tying a franchise record for 3s in a game, while the Trail Blazers went 9-fr-35 from deep. Golden State also mightily won the battle of the boards, outrebounding Portland 58-30.
Six Warriors players finished in double-digit scoring and four scored 20 or more points. Stephen Curry led the way with 26 points, and Moses Moody added 25 off the bench.
But while the Warriors picked up an easy win — their eighth victory in the last 10 games — the rest of the West that was competing for a playoff spot was in shambles. The Suns had to put the game on pause because a speaker malfunctioned. Meanwhile, the Minnesota Timberwolves sent Rudy Gobert home after he punched a teammate in the huddle. The Clippers also had a scuffle, where Bones Hyland appeared to shove Mason Plumlee.
Golden State will have five games off before Game 1 of the first-round series against either the third-seeded Sacramento Kings or fourth-seeded Suns. Andrew Wiggins and the veterans will greatly benefit from the time off.
Wiggins, who missed seven weeks of action to deal with a family matter before rejoining the team last week, is still ramping up and could be cleared in time for the first round, which begins Saturday and Sunday. Coach Steve Kerr said pre-game the Warriors plan to use the layoff to scrimmage and helped get Wiggins “back in the fold with everything we’re doing scheme-wise and execution-wise.”
