Westbrook, Thunder put Warriors on brink of elimination

Game Recap by Cliff Brunt of AP via NBA.com.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) Suddenly, these Golden State Warriors who have been compared all season to the Chicago Bulls dynasty of the 1990s are on the brink of elimination.

Russell Westbrook had 36 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists, and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Warriors 118-94 on Tuesday night to take a 3-1 lead in the Western Conference Finals. Golden State, which won a league record 73 games in the regular season, lost consecutive games for the first time this season.

The Warriors must win Game 5 on Thursday in Oakland to keep their season alive.

''We all have to bounce back,'' Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. ''The good news is, we go home. Obviously we play well at home. The idea now is to go home and get one win. Do that, and we put some pressure on them and we'll see what happens.

''Klay Thompson led Golden State with 26 points, but two-time league MVP Stephen Curry was limited to 19 points on 6-for-20 shooting. Curry's shooting performance was so uncharacteristic that reporters asked if he was hurt.''

He's not injured,'' Kerr said. ''He's coming back from the knee, but he's not injured. He just had a lousy night. It happens, even to the best players in the world.''

The Warriors lost consecutive playoff games by at least 20 points for the first time since Games 2 and 3 of the 1972 Western Conference semifinals against the Milwaukee Bucks. Golden State's Draymond Green, who was fined for kicking Steven Adams in the groin in Game 3, finished with six points, 11 rebounds and six turnovers.

Meanwhile, Oklahoma City got a boost from an unlikely source. Andre Roberson, a player the Warriors have ignored at times during the series, scored a career-high 17 points and grabbed 12 rebounds.

Kevin Durant added 26 points and 11 rebounds and Serge Ibaka added 17 points and seven rebounds.

As for Westbrook, it was his first triple-double of the playoffs after posting 18 in the regular season. It was his fifth career playoff triple-double.

''I play every game like it's my last, regardless of who's in front of me,'' he said. ''That's my job, and my job is to worry about my team, and that's all I do.''

The Thunder know they have to close. Nine teams have rallied from 3-1 deficits to win.

''I think we're in a good place, but like I said, this game is over,'' Westbrook said. ''We've got to move on to the next game. Every game is different.''

The Thunder led 30-26 at the end of the first quarter, then gained control in the second. In the most unlikely of connections, Adams threw a bullet pass to Roberson near the basket for a dunk that gave the Thunder a 56-43 lead with just over four minutes left in the first half.

Oklahoma City finished with a flurry and led 72-53 at halftime. The Thunder matched the most points they have scored in a first half in franchise playoff history, a mark they set the previous game against the Warriors. It also matched the most points Golden State has allowed in a half this season for the second straight game.

Westbrook had 21 points, nine assists and five rebounds in the first half, and Durant had 18 points and six boards.

Thompson tried to keep the Warriors in it, scoring 19 points in just over seven minutes to start the third quarter. But the Thunder maintained their composure, led 94-82 at the end of the period and remained in control in the fourth.

''This is a tough situation to be in, but the series isn't over,'' Curry said.

QUOTABLE

Kerr, on the pressure of trying to win a title after setting the regular-season wins record: ''We had a tremendous regular season, our guys competed every single night and did something no one has ever done and they're proud of that. But in the playoffs, everybody starts 0-0. So there's no extra pressure, whether you're talking about defending our title or trying to back up the regular season.''

STAT LINES

According to Thunder Public Relations, the last team to score 72 or more points in the first half of two straight playoff games was the 1987 Los Angeles Lakers.

TIP-INS

Warriors: Curry went 1 for 7 in the first quarter, and made just 1 of 4 3-point attempts. ... Thompson committed his third foul with 7:55 left in the second quarter, and C Andrew Bogut committed his third about two minutes later. ... Curry made a 3-pointer for his 48th consecutive playoff game, extending his NBA record. ... The Warriors were 12-0 this season the game after a loss.

Thunder: Westbrook had five points, six assists and three rebounds in the first quarter. ... Oklahoma City forced 13 turnovers in the first half. ... The Thunder improved to 19-0 this season when Westbrook gets a triple-double. ... The Thunder outrebounded the Warriors 56-40 and outscored them 31-19 from the free throw line.

Lowry, DeRozan lead Raptors to 105-99 win over Cav

Game Recap by Ian Harrison of AP via NBA.com.

TORONTO (AP) A series that once looked lopsided is now even.

Kyle Lowry scored 35 points, including a driving layup in the final minute, and DeMar DeRozan had 32 as the Toronto Raptors evened the Eastern Conference Finals by beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 105-99 in Game 4 on Monday night.

DeMarre Carroll scored 11 points and Bismack Biyombo had 14 rebounds as Toronto improved to 8-2 at home this postseason and got back on level terms after big losses in Games 1 and 2.

''We've been counted out, and we like that challenge,'' DeRozan said.

The next challenge for Toronto? Game 5 on Wednesday night in Cleveland, where the Raptors are 0-3 this season, losing by a combined 72 points.

''We have to continue to make sure that when they punch, we punch back,'' Lowry said. ''And if they punch three times, we punch four times.''

The Raptors are 2-6 on the road in the playoffs.

After a 10-0 start to these playoffs, the Cavaliers are counting on home court advantage to help them reach their second straight Finals.

''Going back home we have to play a lot better and I think we will,'' LeBron James said.

Cleveland lost consecutive playoff games to an Eastern Conference opponent for the first time since dropping the final three games of the conference semifinals to Boston in 2010.''

We had a few defensive breakdowns that you can't have down the stretch of a game, especially in the playoffs,'' Cavs coach Tyronn Lue said. ''They executed every time we made a mistake.''

James scored 29 points and Kyrie Irving had 26 for the Cavaliers, who trailed by as many as 18 points. Channing Frye scored nine of his 12 points in the fourth quarter.

Lowry scored nine in the fourth and DeRozan had 12, connecting on five of six shots.

''It's a cakewalk for me when (Lowry) gets going,'' DeRozan said. ''It opens up everything.''

The Raptors led 78-69 to begin the fourth but Frye made consecutive 3-pointers as Cleveland opened the final quarter with an 8-0 run, cutting it to 78-77. The Cavaliers made their first 11 shots of the fourth quarter.

''It wasn't enough because we got off to a horrible first half once again in this building and you're playing catch up the whole game,'' James said.

Frye's errant 3-point attempt at 4:12 was Cleveland's first miss of the fourth. DeRozan made two free throws at the other end and, after another miss by Frye, Carroll made one of two to put Toronto up 99-96 with 3:23 to go.

A long 3 by Irving made it 101-99 with 2:00 left, but DeRozan answered with a driving bank shot at 1:33. Toronto got the ball back after Biyombo blocked J.R. Smith's 3, and Biyombo kept the offensive possession alive by rebounding Lowry's missed shot. After a timeout, Lowry let the shot clock wind down before driving for the decisive layup, making it 105-99 with 22 seconds to go.

Toronto jumped out to a 13-5 lead as Cleveland missed eight of its first 10 shots. Following a timeout, the Cavs made five of their next six to cut the deficit but the Raptors led 27-24 after one quarter.

Lowry scored 15 points in the second, making three of Toronto's four 3-pointers, as the Raptors opened a 57-41 halftime lead despite not shooting a single free throw in the first two quarters. It marked the first time a team led by 15 or more at halftime in a conference finals game without shooting a free throw since Game 2 of the 2001 East Finals between Milwaukee and Philadelphia. The Bucks made two of six from the line, the fewest ever made in an NBA playoff game at the time.

DeRozan shot Toronto's first free throws at 6:13 of the third after being tackled by Smith on a drive. The foul drought came after Raptors coach Dwane Casey was fined $25,000 for criticizing the officials following Toronto's Game 3 win.

Fans cheered derisively when Matthew Dellavedova was called for Cleveland's first foul of the game at 8:56 of the second.

NOT MUCH TO LOVE

After shooting 3 for 19 in Game 3, Kevin Love shot 4 for 14 in Game 4. He finished with 10 points. Love did not play in the fourth after appearing to injure his left ankle when he stepped on referee David Guthrie late in the third. ''It didn't feel too great,'' Love said. Lue said Love's health was ''no concern.''

FAIR AND FOUL

Cleveland didn't shoot any free throws in the third quarter and had just two in the fourth. Twelve of Toronto's 19 free throws came in the fourth.

TIP-INS

Cavaliers: James and Irving each had six assists. ... Cleveland shot 3 for 23 from 3-point range in the first half. The finished 13 for 41. . Cleveland's Dahntay Jones served a one-game suspension for hitting Biyombo in the groin in Game 3.

Raptors: Raptors C Jonas Valanciunas was active but did not play. He's been out since spraining his right ankle in the third quarter of Game 3 against Miami on May 7. ... Toronto is 10-1 in the playoffs when holding opponents below 100 points.

Draymond Green fined, not suspended for groin kick

Statement from the NBA.

Draymond Green

NEW YORK (AP) — Draymond Green was fined $25,000 but not suspended by the NBA on Monday for kicking Oklahoma City center Steven Adams in the groin.

The league also upgraded the foul to a flagrant 2, which would have resulted in an automatic ejection had officials given it that ruling when it happened. That moved him closer to an automatic suspension for accumulation of flagrant foul points.

But Green will be on the court when the Warriors try to even the Western Conference finals at 2-2 on Tuesday at Oklahoma City.

Green was called for a flagrant 1 foul after he was fouled by Adams with 5:57 remaining in the second quarter and kicked his leg up into Adams' groin. Though the Thunder felt it was intentional, Green and Warriors coach Steve Kerr said they believed the flagrant would actually be rescinded by the league.

NBA Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Kiki VanDeWeghe disagreed.

"After a thorough investigation that included review of all available video angles and interviews with the players involved and the officials working the game, we have determined that Green's foul was unnecessary and excessive and warranted the upgrade and fine," VanDeWeghe said in a statement.

"During a game, players - at times - flail their legs in an attempt to draw a foul, but Green's actions in this case warranted an additional penalty."

The NBA determines a flagrant 1 foul to include "unnecessary contact." A flagrant 2 is defined as "unnecessary and excessive contact."

Green now has three flagrant foul points during the postseason. One more will force him to miss Golden State's next game.

Green was an All-Star and the runner-up for Defensive Player of the Year, but had a dismal game as Oklahoma City took a 2-1 lead. He was 1 for 9 from the field with six points and the Warriors were outscored by 43 points when he was on the court.

NBA announces suspension, fine

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Dahntay Jones was suspended one game without pay for striking Toronto Raptors center Bismack Biyombo in the groin on Saturday, Kiki VanDeWeghe, Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations announced on Sunday.

The incident occurred with 17.6 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter of the Raptors’ 99-84 win over the Cavaliers in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals on May 21 at Air Canada Centre. Jones will serve his suspension on Monday, May 23 during Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

VanDeWeghe also announced Sunday that Toronto Raptors head coach Dwane Casey has been fined $25,000 for public criticism of officiating.

Casey made his comments during the postgame press conference following the Raptors’ 99-84 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals on May 21 at Air Canada Centre.

Durant, Westbrook lead Thunder in blowout win over Warriors

Game Recap from NBA.com.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and the Thunder gave the Warriors as complete a beating as they experienced during their record-setting season.

Suddenly, a second straight title seems to be anything but a given for Golden State. Now the Warriors are just trying to survive.

Durant scored 33 points, Westbrook had 30 points, 12 assists and eight rebounds, and Oklahoma City rolled to a 133-105 victory on Sunday night to take a 2-1 lead in the Western Conference finals.

The Warriors, who set an NBA record with 73 victories in the regular season, trailed by 41 points, their largest deficit this season.

''We got what we deserved,'' Warriors coach Steve Kerr said.

Durant made 10 of 15 shots and Westbrook was 10 of 19. It was the first time this postseason both players shot better than 50 percent from the field.

''We're not going to win that way,'' Golden State guard Klay Thompson said. ''One of those guys got to have an off night.''

Serge Ibaka added 14 points and eight rebounds for the Thunder, who matched a franchise record for most points scored in a playoff game.

Oklahoma City outrebounded the Warriors in its Game 1 victory, but the Warriors won the battle of the boards in Game 2 and beat the Thunder 118-91. Oklahoma City reasserted its dominance on the glass on Sunday, outrebounding Golden State 52-38.

Westbrook said the Thunder also needed to make the hustle plays that add to the rebounding totals.

''That's one thing we slipped up on in Game 2, and I think tonight, we did a good job of getting loose balls and finding ways to get 50/50 basketballs and give ourselves extra possessions,'' he said.

Golden State will be in an uncomfortable position heading into Game 4 on Tuesday in Oklahoma City, but the Warriors remain confident. Golden State trailed Memphis and Cleveland 2-1 in playoff series last year and won both on its way to claiming the NBA title.''

Both times, we got blown out in Game 3, and we responded well, so we have that memory,'' Kerr said. ''I'm confident we're going to come out and play a really good game in Game 4, and we'll see what happens.''

The last time Golden State's Stephen Curry had played in Oklahoma City, he scored 46 points, tied an NBA record with 12 3-pointers and hit a game-winning, 37-footer. This time, the league MVP finished with 24 points on 7-for-17 shooting. Klay Thompson added 18 points on 8-for-19 shooting.Golden State's Draymond Green, who kicked Oklahoma City's Steven Adams in the groin and has become Thunder fans' No. 1 target because of some questionable tactics, struggled on both ends of the floor and finished with six points on 1-for-9 shooting. The Warriors were outscored by 43 points when he was in the game.With 5:57 left in the second quarter, Green kicked Adams after a foul. It was the second time in the series Green hit Adams there - he hit him with a knee in Game 2. The crowd chanted ''Kick him out! Kick him out!'' but Green was issued a flagrant 1 foul and remained in the game.

Green said he wasn't trying to hurt Adams.

''I thought it would probably get rescinded,'' he said. ''I followed through on a shot. I'm not trying to kick somebody in the midsection. Somebody wants to have kids someday. I'm not trying to end that on the basketball court.''

Seemingly energized after Green's foul, the Thunder outscored the Warriors 24-7 the rest of the half, with many of the baskets coming against Green. In a play that summarized the second quarter perfectly, Green went in for a layup and got it blocked by Durant, then Durant made a 3-pointer on the other end to give the Thunder a 64-47 lead.

Green fouled Westbrook on a long 3-pointer with 1.3 seconds left in the first half. Westbrook made all three free throws to put the Thunder up 72-47 at the break. Durant had 23 points on 6-for-10 shooting and 10 of 10 free throws in the first half, and Westbrook had 16 points, seven assists and six rebounds at the break. It was the most points scored against the Warriors in any half this season.

Curry shot 4 for 13 in the first half, Thompson went 5 for 14 and Green 1 for 8.

The Thunder continued the onslaught by making 17 of 22 shots in the third quarter to take a 117-80 lead into the fourth.

DeRozan, Raptors end Cavaliers' streak with 99-84 win

Game Recap from NBA.com.

TORONTO (AP) Cleveland's perfect playoff run went south in the north.

DeMar DeRozan scored 32 points, Bismack Biyombo set a Toronto playoff record with 26 rebounds and the Raptors beat Cleveland 99-84 in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Saturday night, handing the Cavaliers their first loss this postseason.

Kyle Lowry scored 20 points, Cory Joseph added 14, and Patrick Patterson and DeMarre Carroll each had 10 for the Raptors. They rebounded after losing the first two games in Cleveland by a combined 50 points.

In Toronto, where ''We The North'' is a rallying cry, a sell-out crowd dressed in red and white T-shirts cheered the Raptors to their seventh victory in nine home playoff games. Game 4 is Monday night at Air Canada Centre.

''It's a long series,'' Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. ''It's not over with yet, but everybody thought we were going to get swept. I think that fuels us and if that's what it takes, so be it.''

LeBron James scored 24 points, and J.R. Smith had 22 for the Cavaliers. They won their first 10 playoff games and were trying to match the Los Angeles Lakers' record of 11 straight victories to begin a postseason. The Lakers did it in 1989 and again in 2001.

''We didn't play our game and they made us pay for it,'' James said. ''We didn't start the game as physical as we should have at the point of attack.

''Biyombo had four blocks, helping Toronto limit the Cavaliers to 20 points in the paint. The Cavs had 106 points in the paint in the first two games.

''It was amazing, honestly,'' DeRozan said about Biyombo's performance. ''He was big time tonight. Without him, we probably would't get this win.''

Kyrie Irving scored 13 points, and Channing Frye had 11 for Cleveland. The Cavaliers were held below 100 points for the first time in these playoffs.''

They came out and they beat us,'' Cleveland coach Tyronn Lue said. ''They were more aggressive. They were more physical. They were more active. They were faster. They beat us to the ball.''

James had five assists, moving past Jason Kidd and into third place on the NBA's career playoff list.

It was a rough night for Cavaliers forward Kevin Love, who scored three points and made just one of nine field goal attempts. Irving also struggled with his shooting, missing 16 of 19.'

'Those guys will be better,'' James pledged.

Irving checked out at 1:38 of the fourth quarter and had to be helped to the locker room following a collision with Joseph.

''I just got the wind knocked out of me,'' Irving said.

With his team ahead by eight, Biyombo scored six straight points in the fourth to put the Raptors up 91-77 at 3:38.

''He was huge,'' Casey said. ''I thought he played a big-time game in the paint.''

DeRozan scored 12 points in the first but saw a buzzer-beating 3 waved off after video review. Lowry scored eight points despite picking up his second four at 5:40 as Toronto led 30-24 after one. It was the first time in nine quarters this series that the Raptors had outscored the Cavaliers.

Carroll, Joseph and Patterson each made 3-pointers during a 16-2 Toronto run midway through the second as the Raptors overcame Lowry's third foul to take a 54-37 lead.

James went down clutching his face after being accidentally elbowed by Thompson during a scuffle at center court late in the second. Thompson and Joseph were given technicals on the play. James recovered to make a 3 in the final seconds, but Cleveland trailed 60-47 at halftime.''

Our second quarter lineup didn't do a great job of paying attention to detail,'' James said. ''They were able to bust the game open."

Cavs Stymie Raptors, Stay Perfect in Playoffs

Game Recap from NBA.com.

Conventional wisdom says that the Cavaliers have to drop a game at some point during the postseason. It’s just that the way their Big Three – and just about everyone else in the rotation – is playing right now, it’s hard to see when that moment will actually come.

The Cavaliers went right back to their formula from Game 1 – beating up Toronto on the glass and in the paint, keeping their explosive All-Star point guard in check and using a big second-quarter push to hand the Raptors the 108-89 loss in Game 2 at The Q.

The Big Three of LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love continued their prolific postseason – combining for 68 points, 20 boards and 17 assists -- with all three netting double-digit scoring by intermission.

The first half of Game 2 featured four ties and 11 lead-changes, and things got chippy early – with Kyrie Irving and Bismack Biyombo locking horns midway through the first quarter, each picking up techs as the officials attempted to cool things off.

Things did come under control and after a contentious first quarter, it was all Wine and Gold in the second.

Patrick Patterson’s triple tied the score at 46-apiece with just over four minutes to play in the first half, but that’s as good as it’d get for the Raptors the rest of the way. Cleveland closed the period on a 16-2 run to take a two-touchdown lead at half – and didn’t allow Toronto to get within single-digits the rest of the way.

As he has in four of the Cavaliers’ previous five Playoff games, Kyrie led the squad in scoring – pacing both squads with 26 points, going 12-for-22 from the floor to go with four boards, three assists and a steal.

LeBron rewrote the NBA history books again on Thursday night – surpassing Shaquille O’Neal for fourth on the NBA’s all-time Playoff scoring list while notching the 15th postseason triple-double of his illustrious career, finishing with 23 points, 11 boards and 11 assists.

The four-time MVP – who trails only Magic Johnson (30) in career postseason triple-doubles – went 7-for-13 from the floor and 9-for-17 from the stripe in the victory and is now 18-for-26 through the first two games. He also posted his 20th straight game of at least 20 points, the longest active streak in the Association.

Kevin Love added 19 points, five boards, three helpers and a blocked shot in Game 2 – going 5-of-8 from the floor and 8-of-9 from the line. The three-time All-Star has yet to lose a Playoff game in a Cavaliers uniform.

“It's something that's been well-documented,” said Love, who’s now 14-0 in his brief postseason career. “But as (LeBron) said after last game, we're not here to just win nine games, now it being 10. We want to take it to the top, so that's not necessarily something that we're thinking about.”

Overall, the Cavaliers made seven more free throws than the Raptors attempted, going 25-for-37 from the stripe compared to 14-of-18 for Dwane Casey’s club.

J.R. Smith rounded out the Cavaliers starters in double-figures with 12 points, going 4-of-7 from the floor, 3-of-5 from long-distance. Cleveland’s bench wasn’t as effective as it was in Game 1, but Channing Frye kept his postseason roll going – finishing with 10 points and three boards in the win.

DeMar DeRozan led the Raptors in scoring once again, finishing with 22 points on 8-for-18 shooting. But his backcourt mate struggled once again, going 4-for-14 from the field, including 1-of-8 from deep, for just 10 points. Through the first two games of the Eastern Conference Finals, the two-time All-Star is shooting 29 percent from the floor (8-of-28), just under seven percent (1-for-15) from long-distance.

“That's where we want to make our mark – on the defensive end – and once we settled into tonight's game, it just made it a lot easier on ourselves getting out in transition. We didn't necessarily get up a lot of threes in transition, but we stayed in the paint.”

The Cavaliers won the battle of the boards (46-38), dominated in the paint (50-28) and handed out 24 assists to Toronto’s 17. Cleveland shot an even 50 percent from the floor while holding the Raptors to 40 percent shooting and below 90 points for the second straight contest.

For the second straight game, the Cavaliers also scaled back on their long-range shooting – attempting just 21 triples and hitting seven, the exact numbers from their lopsided Game 1 victory on Tuesday night.