National Basketball Association
Portland 120, Golden State 108
When: 8:30 PM ET, Saturday, May 7, 2016
Where: Moda Center, Portland, Oregon
Officials: #24 Mike Callahan, #26 Pat Fraher, #55 Bill Kennedy
Attendance: 19673

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Al-Farouq Aminu came up big, Damian Lillard was even bigger and the Portland Trail Blazers are alive in the Western Conference semifinals.

Lillard bombed in a career playoff-high 40 points and dished out 10 assists to lead the Trail Blazers past the Golden State Warriors 120-108 Saturday night at the Moda Center.

Aminu collected 23 points on 8-for-9 shooting to go with 10 rebounds and C.J. McCollum added 22 points for the Trail Blazers, who narrowed Golden State's lead in the series to 2-1. Game 4 takes place Monday night in Portland.

Draymond Green contributed a career playoff-high 37 points, nine rebounds and eight assists and Klay Thompson added 35 points for the Warriors, who were without injured star Stephen Curry.

Portland shot 46.5 percent from the field but fired at a .567 clip (17-for-30) from 3-point range, setting a franchise playoff record for made 3's in a game. Lillard was the biggest contributor, knocking down a franchise single-game playoff record 8 3-pointers in 13 attempts.

"I didn't think it was on me to go win the game or anything, but it was my job to be aggressive from the start," Lillard said. "A lot of times, the team will go as far as I go."

Lillard, who was 14-for-27 from the field, scored 25 points in the first half and 10 in the fourth quarter.

"You run out of superlatives with Damian," Portland coach Terry Stotts said. "He's such a great competitor. There was no question in my mind he was going to come and have a really good game. That's just how he's built."

Lillard had a willing accomplice in Aminu, who made his first eight shots from the field -- including four 3-pointers -- before finally missing a 3 late in the game. The 6-foot-9 forward said he was left open because the Warriors were paying so much defensive attention to Lillard and McCollum.

"It's been like that all through the playoffs," Aminu said. "(Opponents) are really focusing in on our guards. They're going to try to take away what you do best, and you're going to have to find different ways to be effective. Tonight was a testament to the guards being able to find me and me being able to hit the shots."

Green had a monster game, too. The Warriors' 6-foot-9 forward finished with 13-for-23 shooting, including 8-for-12 from beyond the arc. It wasn't enough against a Portland team that scored the most points against Golden State this postseason.

"We didn't move the ball like we normally do, especially in the first half," Golden State coach Steve Kerr said. "We were in a rush. We had too many quick shots early in the game and never really got into our offensive flow."

Golden State jumped to a 16-9 lead as the Blazers started 4-for-16 from the field. Thompson scored 18 points as the Warriors carried a 28-22 advantage into the second quarter. Lillard had 11 for Portland.

The Blazers scored the first seven points of the second period to go in front 29-28. Lillard had 25 points and Aminu contributed 11 points on 5-for-5 shooting in the second quarter as Portland carried a 58-46 lead into halftime. Thompson had 24 points for the Warriors, who were outscored 36-18 in the second period.

Portland increased its lead to 63-50, but Green buried back-to-back 3's to whittle the margin to 63-56. The Blazers regained control with a 12-4 run that upped the advantage to 76-60. With Aminu leading the way, the Blazers took a 93-80 edge into the fourth quarter.

The Blazers increased the difference to 105-85, but Golden State used a 9-0 run to close within 105-94 with 5:25 remaining. Portland scored the next five points, and the Warriors never got closer than 12 points the rest of the way.

"All it means is we won a home-court game," Stotts said. "The first quarter, we couldn't get much rhythm, but we found a way to hang around. We didn't want to go down 0-3 in the series. Our effort in trying to get the win was the key."

NOTES: Golden State G Stephen Curry missed his fourth straight playoff game with a sprained right knee. The NBA's leading scorer had his first "actual basketball" workout, a two-on-two game with members of the coaching staff, prior to Game 3. "He came out of it fine," Coach Steve Kerr said. "It's another good step, another good sign." Might Curry play in Game 4? "We'll see how it goes (Sunday)," Kerr said. "We'll put him into a three-on-three (workout) and see how he does." … Lillard is the first Blazer to record 40 points and 10 assists in a playoff game since Clyde Drexler in 1992. … Portland becomes the first team to beat Golden State twice this season. … Golden State C Andrew Bogut picked up his fourth and fifth fouls in the first 19 seconds of the third quarter. He played only 11 minutes, collecting six points and five rebounds. … Portland has won 22 of its last 25 home games, including four straight in the postseason.
Top Game Performances
 
Golden State   Portland
Draymond Green 37 Scoring Damian Lillard 40
Shaun Livingston 10 Assists Damian Lillard 10
Draymond Green 9 Rebounds Al-Farouq Aminu 10
Draymond Green 3 Free Throws Made C.J. McCollum 5
Leandro Barbosa 1 Steals Maurice Harkless 2
Andrew Bogut 3 Blocks Ed Davis 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Golden State 108 47.7 14-29 10-17 29 42 6 4 12
Portland 120 46.5 17-30 23-29 19 41 4 5 10
Upcoming Games
  • Portland will play their next game at home against Golden State. The Trail Blazers have a W/L % of .535 after a win and .538 after a loss.
  • Golden State will play their next game on the road against Portland. The Warriors have a W/L % of .877 after a win and 1.000 after a loss.