Golden State Warriors advance after sweeping Blazers 4-0
The Golden State Warriors defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 128-103 in Game 4 to complete their 4-0 sweep of the series and will be advancing to the next round of the playoffs. Stephen Curry was on fire as he torched the Blazers for seven triples en route to his game-high 37 points. Portland’s Damian Lillard, did his best to match Curry’s output on offense and wound up finishing the game with 34 points of his own. Unfortunately for Lillard, his usual “partner in crime”, C.J. McCollum was limited to just six points on 2-of-12 shooting from the field. Credit should also go to Golden State’s Draymond Green, who put up an excellent all-around performance. He ended the night with 21 points, six rebounds, five treys, four assists, a steal, and three blocks.
The Dubs got Kevin Durant back. He logged 20 minutes and scored 10 points. The Warriors were without head coach Steve Kerr who is dealing with a back problem, which could possibly force him to miss the remainder of the post-season.
The season is now finally over for the Blazers, who will get some well-deserved rest. They have a promising core of young players and with the right moves in the off-season, Portland can definitely improve its chances for a shot at a deeper playoff run in 2017-18.
Milwaukee Bucks 93 – Toronto Raptors 118
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored career playoff-high of 30 points but it was not enough to prevent the Raptors from securing a 3-2 series lead. Rookie, Malcolm Brogdon scored 19 points, while Greg Monroe added 11. Khris Middleton was hampered by an illness and it affected his performance, allowing him to contribute just eight points.
Norman Powell was inserted into the starting lineup and the change worked wonders for Toronto. He ended up leading the team with 25 points, four rebounds, four assists, four triples, three steals, and a block. Kyle Lowry dropped a 16-10 double-double, while Serge Ibaka bounced back with 19 points and six rebounds in this one.
Washington Wizards 101 – Atlanta Hawks 111
The Atlanta Hawks put together a solid team effort and tied up their first-round series with the Wizards, 2-2. Seven players scored in double figures, led by Paul Millsap’s 19 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists. Dwight Howard made his presence felt in this game in a big way with 16 points and 15 rebounds.
Both Bradley Beal and John Wall put up solid efforts in this game, scoring 32 and 22 points, respectively. Polish big man, Marcin Gortat scored just two points but was able to haul in 18 rebounds.
This series now boils down to a best-of-three affair and with the way both teams have been going at it, this could go either way.