Curry inspires Warriors in return, Heat level series with Raptors
Stephen Curry put on a clinic as the Golden State Warriors extended their second-round NBA play-off series lead against the Portland Trail Blazers with a 132-125 overtime win on Monday.
Curry was in dominant form in his return from injury after two weeks, posting 40 points - including 17 in OT - along with nine rebounds and eight assists as the Warriors moved to 3-1 in the Western Conference semi-final series.
“I’ve been through a lot the last three weeks, I’ve been working hard with a lot of people helping me,” reigning NBA MVP Curry said post-game. “It took me a while to get a groove but it finally happened. I’m a little bit winded, but it’s nice to get a win.”
“I’m Back!” pic.twitter.com/uOBuyjhCEX
— NBA (@NBA) May 10, 2016
The Trail Blazers came out of the blocks strong, leading the Warriors by as much as 16 points in the first quarter.
Portland led by 10 points at half-time, but the Warriors outscored the home side by 11 points in the third quarter to hit the front.
With the scores locked at 110-110 at the end of the fourth quarter, the Warriors blew Portland away in OT with Curry starring to seal a seven-point win on the road, with game five back in Golden State on Wednesday.
Curry was helped by Klay Thompson (23 points) and Draymond Green (21).
Damian Lillard led the way for the Trail Blazers with 36 points and 10 assists in a double-double performance.
Dwyane Wade came up big for Miami as the Heat rallied to beat the Toronto Raptors 94-87.
Wade scored 30 points as the Heat overturned a nine-point deficit in the fourth quarter to claim the win and level the Eastern Conference matchup at 2-2.
The 12-time NBA All-Star also surpassed Magic Johnson for 13th place in the all-time post-season scoring list.
Heat team-mates Goran Dragic and Joe Johnson provided good support with 15 points each.
Cory Joseph and Terrence Ross led the Raptors with 14 points apiece as DeMar DeRozan (nine) and Kyle Lowry (10) were limited.
Game five takes place in Toronto on Wednesday.