Thursday 7 November 2019 13:12, UK
Stephen Curry posted a 37-point triple-double as the Golden State Warriors completed a 4-0 sweep of the Portland Trail Blazers to reach the NBA Finals for the fifth straight season.
Curry, who poured in 36, 37 and 36 points in the Warriors' wins in Games 1, 2 and 3, maintained his scorching form, canning 11 of his 25 shots - including 7-of-16 from three-point range - to guide Golden State to a 119-117 overtime victory at the Moda Center that ended the Trail Blazers' season.
The two-time MVP added 13 rebounds, 11 assists and a steal and made eight of his nine free throws.
Curry scored 25 points in the first half as the defending NBA champions, playing without injured starters Kevin Durant, DeMarcus Cousins and Andre Iguodala, fought to keep pace with Portland's hot start to the game.
Portland went up by as many as 17 points late in the third quarter but the Warriors battled back and a lay-up by Curry with 4:34 to play tied the game at 104-104.
Curry thought he had made a series-clinching three-pointer with 10.7 seconds left in regulation but the basket was ruled out after he was called for a travelling violation.
In overtime, Curry was involved in the game-winning play. The Warriors led 116-115 when Curry spotted Draymond Green open on the perimeter with 39.6 seconds remaining
Green drained a three-pointer that pushed the Golden State lead to four and spelled the end for Portland.
Green finished the game with 18 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists. He and Curry became the first team-mates in NBA postseason history to record twin triple-doubles in the same game. Green's was his fourth of this postseason, while Curry's was his first.
Speaking on court after the game, Curry praised the contributions of Golden State's role players and fellow starter Green.
"We've been here before and had every experience you can imagine, and we relied on that. Three starters down, everybody stepped up and played amazing minutes. We saw how long the break [until the start of the NBA Finals] was going to be so we wanted to take advantage of it," he said.
"We worked on it all year and set the tone in training camp. [Our role players] are going to be important to what we do - whether it's in the Western Conference Finals or in the regular season. Injuries happen, there are different match-ups in the playoffs, everybody had to stay ready. We set that culture at the beginning and it manifested itself throughout the season.
"There is a lot of trust, love and care in terms of what [Draymond and I ] bring to the table. He is a competitor, he is a 'dog', and he knows how to step up in the right moments.
"A hard-fought game that came down to the wire. The 'MO' of this series, that guy [Draymond Green] makes a huge play again.
"We're trying to chase another championship and, no matter how we get it done, you've got to enjoy it. Get KD back, get DeMarcus back and go ahead and win this ring."
Golden State will face the winners of the Eastern Conference Finals series between the Milwaukee Bucks and Toronto Raptors in the NBA Finals.
