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PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) Damian Lillard said that Golden State had done its job and protected the court of first instance. It is now time for the Trail Blazers to do the same.
The final of the Western Conference, between the Blazers and defending champion Warriors, will be transferred to Portland on Saturday with a 2-0 win for Golden State.
The Blazers were up 15 points at halftime and led by eight with more than 4 minutes before the Warriors rally – boosted by Kevon Looney's dunk with less than a minute, and a sealed match flight of Andre Iguodala – for a 114 -111 win in the second match Thursday night.
Golden State closed the game with a 14-3 record to avoid a tie in the best-seven series.
"We lost the match, but you know, their job was to take care of them, and we have the opportunity to do the same," said Lillard.
Lillard, who grew up just a few miles from Oracle Arena, had 23 points and 10 assists, but was thwarted by the Golden State defense, including Iguodala. CJ McCollum had 22 points in Portland's eighth consecutive loss in the playoffs against the Warriors since 2016.
"We have to bring the same energy to the house, understand that this is the first time in 19 years that we are participating in the conference finale," McCollum said. "I know they (the fans) will be enthusiastic and I can not wait to play at home and build on what we have done.
"Being 0-2 is not what you would like to see but it's our reality, so we have to go get it at home."
Stephen Curry led Golden State with 37 points. Warrior coach Steve Kerr said the experience pushed Golden State at the end of the game after Portland's dominant game for most of the game.
"We have done it many times and yes, we have certainly stolen it," Kerr said.
Golden State, in contention for a fifth consecutive NBA finals, won the opening match against the Blazers 116-94, while Curry scored 36 points.
The series so far, and especially the second game, has been a fun battle between Curry and his younger brother Seth, who plays for the Blazers. This is the first time that brothers are playing in the final of a conference.
The young Curry had 16 points and four flights on the bench Thursday, including a flight over his brother. Seth Curry even engaged in a little trashy conversation when his brother was on the free throw line as the match ended.
"It's the coolest event I've ever seen playing against him. We talked about the scene and it was amazing tonight, "said Steph Curry. "You know, every minute he was on defense, he was a parasite. We made three big shots in the fourth quarter that were very timely. "
He added with a smile that it must have been trying for his parents, "but it worked out perfectly tonight: he played well and we won."
The third game will be the first final match of the conference in Portland since 2000. The Blazers have lost this series against the eventual champion Los Angeles Lakers in seven games.
"I know they're going to be excited," said Stephen Curry, noting the atmosphere at the Moda Center. "We have to do everything in our power to get them out early, hopefully. Knowing that Portland will feed on this energy, it will be difficult to win there, so we have to bring it. "
Back home, the Blazers will not need to face the return of Kevin Durant. The most valuable player of the NBA Finals twice is still missing with a right calf injury and should not be re-examined until next week, which means it's likely that he will miss the rest of this series.
Durant, who did not travel with the team in Portland, averaged 34.2 points in the playoffs before being injured in the third quarter of the Golden State win over Game 5 against Houston.
The No. 3 seeds Blazers defeated Oklahoma City 4-1 in the first round and needed all seven games to defeat the Denver Nuggets in the semifinals. The Warriors eliminated the Los Angeles Clippers and Houston Rockets in six games to qualify for the conference final.
The winner in the West will then face the winner of the East series between the Toronto Raptors and the Milwaukee Bucks.
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Janie McCauley, editor of AP Sports magazine, contributed to this report.
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More NBA AP: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports
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