Trail Blazers vs Warriors: Game 1 Score, Twitter Reaction from 2016 NBA Playoffs

The Golden State Warriors continued to thrive without reigning MVP Stephen Curry in Sunday’s opening game of their Western Conference Semifinals series against the Portland Trail Blazers, rolling to a 118-106 victory at Oracle Arena.  

While Curry sat with a sprained MCL, his Splash Brothers backcourt partner, Klay Thompson, set the tone with a scorching start. Thompson netted 18 of his playoff career-high 37 points in the opening quarter, which the Warriors took by a score of 37-17.

Shooter McGavin had a fitting GIF to summarize what Thompson and Co. did during the first 12 minutes:

Warriors 1st Quarter pic.twitter.com/TlVKYKxyqc

— Shooter McGavin (@ShooterMcGavin_) May 1, 2016

Ron Kroichick of the San Francisco Chronicle highlighted how dominant the Dubs had been since Curry went down to that point:

Warriors in past seven quarters, without @StephenCurry30, have outscored their opponents by 80 points (216-136). Yikes. #Warriors

— Ron Kroichick (@ronkroichick) May 1, 2016

Draymond Green also did a commendable job stepping up for the defending NBA champions, stuffing the stat sheet for a triple-double with 23 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists.

The Warriors’ defensive rotation was impeccable as it played with undeniable unity. Green’s versatility afforded him free rein to roam and switch seamlessly, while Andrew Bogut did an exemplary job protecting the rim and altered shots in the paint.

Bogut even got into the act on offense with 10 points to go with 12 rebounds, two steals and three blocks—highlighted when Shaun Livingston set him up on a beautiful early lob:

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Golden State’s collective size gave Portland fits early on. Livingston started in place of Curry and was not only a savvy distributor, but his length on defense posed problems for Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard.

In addition to being contested on the perimeter by the likes of Thompson and Livingston, Lillard found life near the …

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