Warriors win, but Sixers and Raptors stunned in NBA play-offs
The Golden State Warriors began their quest for a three-peat by clobbering the Los Angeles Clippers, while the Brooklyn Nets and Orlando Magic delivered a pair of upset victories as the NBA play-offs began yesterday morning (Singapore time).
Stephen Curry drained eight three-pointers to give him the most in league play-off history as the two-time defending champions Warriors won 121-104.
"We imposed our will for 48 minutes," said Curry. "We have been working for the last month on our collective mindset, raising our intensity and focus.
"It might not be flashy but we all got to do our jobs."
Curry finished with 38 points, shooting eight of 12 from beyond the arc to pass Ray Allen (385) for career post-season threes with 386.
Curry, who also tallied a play-off career-high 15 rebounds and seven assists, hit one of his three-pointers from a distance of about 30 feet.
"Curry has destroyed us all year," said Clippers coach Doc Rivers.
Game two is tomorrow morning at the Warriors' Oracle Arena in Oakland, California.
Draymond Green, who made all five of his shots in the opening quarter, finished with 17 points and seven assists and Kevin Durant scored 23 points.
Elsewhere, D'Angelo Russell scored 26 points as sixth-seeded Brooklyn jolted third seeds Philadelphia 111-102 at the Wells Fargo Center to give the Nets a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.
The Nets were also reliant on a big performance from their bench, with three players delivering double-digit displays to boost their offence.
Meanwhile, the San Antonio Spurs defeated Denver Nuggets 101-96, while the second-seeded Raptors were left ruing missed chances after crashing to a 104-101 loss to Orlando at the Scotiabank Arena.
DJ Augustin was the hero for Orlando, draining a three-pointer with 4.2 seconds to play to seal a famous win for the seventh-seeded Magic, who finished the regular season with 16 fewer wins than Toronto. - AFP
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