SAN FRANCISCO, United States —
Golden State’s
Stephen Curry made a triumphant return from a left foot sprain
on Saturday as the Warriors, led by Jordan Poole’s 30 points, routed Denver
123–107 in an NBA playoff opener.
اضافة اعلان
All-Star guard Curry, sidelined since March 16 with
the injury, had 16 points on 5-of-13 shooting from the floor (3-of-6 from
3-point range) with three rebounds, four assists and a steal over 22 minutes
off the bench as the host Warriors took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven
first-round series.
“Everything was smooth for the most part,” Curry
said. “It was nice to get back out there, to feel the playoff vibe again. It
was nice to just be out there with my guys. It was a step in the right
direction.”
Curry said he had no expectations about when he might
start again.
“I can hopefully provide a lot of energy off the
bench,” Curry said. “We have to keep things simple, be decisive, have
confidence in each other. JP is a part of that now.”
Poole hit 9-of-13 from the floor and 5-of-7 from
3-point range in his playoff debut.
Klay Thompson added 19 points and praised Poole,
saying: “He’s incredible, a star in the making. He’s just going to keep getting
better.”
Other NBA playoff openers Saturday saw the Utah Jazz
outlast Dallas 99-93, Philadelphia defeat Toronto 131–111 and Minnesota upset
Memphis 130–117.
Curry started 0-for-5, got his first basket on a
goaltending call off a drive to the hoop and played 12 minutes in the first
half.
“I like the way he approached the game,” Warriors
coach
Steve Kerr said. “He found his rhythm as the game went on. It was a
really good first game back for him and will set the table for what’s to come.”
Having Curry back was a thrill for Thompson, who
missed more than two full seasons with injuries before returning to
Golden State in January.
The Warriors closed the first half on an 18–4 run
for a 58-47 edge and pulled away in the third quarter.
“The key stretch was the end of the second quarter,”
Nuggets coach Mike Malone said. “We can’t beat ourselves and the Warriors in
the same game.”
Serbian big man Nikola Jokic, last year’s
NBA Most Valuable Player, led Denver with 25 points.
Utah’s
Donovan Mitchell scored 30 of his 32 points
in the second half and the visiting Jazz beat the Mavericks, who were without
injured All-Star guard Luka Doncic due to a left calf strain.
“We have a lot of confidence,” Utah’s Royce O’Neale
said. “We have the guys we need to make a long run. It’s about us staying
locked in.”
Bojan Bogdanovic added 26 points while Rudy Gobert
grabbed 17 rebounds.
Dallas pulled within 92-91 before O’Neale made his
only basket, a 3-pointer with 57 seconds remaining, and Mitchell added four
free throws to secure the victory.
“Our mental toughness was challenged and we
responded,” Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. “We kept our aggression.”
Mitchell began the game 0-for-6 and 1-for-9 from the
floor but sparkled in the second half.
“Just be in attack mode,” Mitchell said of his
halftime change. “I came out a little too passive in the first half.”
Jalen Brunson led Dallas with 24 points.
Tyrese Maxey scored a playoff career-high 38 points
and Tobias Harris added 26 to power the 76ers.
“It’s a testimony to the work,” said Maxey. “The
work you put in when nobody else is around, it shows when you perform before
thousands.”
Cameroonian center
Joel Embiid, the NBA scoring
champion, added 19 points and 15 rebounds while James Harden contributed 22
points and a game-high 14 assists.
Pascal Siakam led Toronto with 24 points.
At Memphis, Minnesota’s
Anthony Edwards scored a
game-high 36 points in his playoff debut and Karl-Anthony Towns added 29 points
and 13 rebounds in a matchup of the NBA’s two top-scoring clubs.
Malik Beasley added 23 points off the bench for the
T-Wolves. Ja Morant led Memphis with 32 points.
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