OAKLAND, Calif. -- The NBA's highest scoring team reminded everyone Sunday why it is the top seed in the playoffs.

Because it's pretty good on defense, too.

Draymond Green led a defensive surge early in the fourth quarter and backup point guard Ian Clark contributed seven points to a 15-2 flurry, as the Golden State Warriors ran off from a tie to beat the Portland Trail Blazers 121-109 in Game 1 of their Western Conference first-round series.

Game 2 in the best-of-seven is scheduled for Wednesday night in Oakland.

"It was, to me, the perfect way to win Game 1," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said of the highly competitive contest. "You get a real taste for what you're up against. You see how good they are, but you're able to overcome everything and still get this win. So, I like it."

The eighth-seeded Trail Blazers never trailed by more than eight points in the first three quarters and used a three-point play by backup Pat Connaughton in the final seconds of the third period to draw even at 88-all.

But with Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant on the bench, the Warriors turned up the defensive heat to start the final quarter and got a surprise contribution from Clark in the game-breaking burst.

"The offense was there. We had 88 points at the end of the third quarter," Green said. "The problem was: They had 88 points. We had to get some stops. At some point, we had to make a defensive stand."

While Portland was missing 10 of its 11 shots, two of which were blocked by Green, and committing four turnovers in a nearly 4 1/2-minute stretch, Clark hit a 3-pointer, a follow shot and two free throws. Klay Thompson and Green added four points apiece to complete the 15-2 burst that produced a 103-90 advantage.

"Draymond had an impact on the game at the rim and in the paint," Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts said. "If you have six turnovers and shoot 30 percent in a quarter, it's going to be rough. It's a credit to their defense."

CJ McCollum, the game's leading scorer with 41 points, stopped the bleeding with a 3-pointer at the 6:35 mark, and Damian Lillard converted a drive 29 seconds later to get Portland back in the game.

When Evan Turner followed another McCollum hoop with two free throws, suddenly the Trail Blazers were back within 105-99 with still 5:16 to go.

But Green tipped in a Curry miss and Durant followed with three consecutive hoops, opening Golden State's biggest lead of the game, 113-99, with 3:36 to go.

"It's a close game, and then they have KD," Lillard noted. "That's a heck of an option to have."

Durant, playing his first postseason game for the Warriors, led Golden State with 32 points. He hit 12 of his 20 shots in 36 minutes and also had 10 rebounds.

Curry chipped in with 29 points, including three 3-pointers, while Green had a remarkable all-around game with 19 points to go with game-highs in rebounds (12), assists (nine), blocked shots (five) and steals (three).

"Draymond was amazing," Kerr assured. "I mean, he played a game that I'm not sure anybody else in the league is capable of, honestly. Who else can do what Draymond did tonight?"

Clark finished with 12 points for the Warriors, who have beaten the Trail Blazers in 11 of their last 12 meetings, including a 4-0 season-series sweep this year and their 4-1 triumph in the 2016 Western semifinals.

McCollum's 41 points, a postseason career-best, came on 16-of-28 shooting overall and 4-of-6 on 3-pointers. He had 27 of the points in the first half.

Lillard connected on 12 of his 26 shots during a 34-point performance for the Trail Blazers, who are facing the No. 1 seed in the Western playoffs for the third time in the last four years.

"We competed extremely well for three quarters," Stotts said. "It takes four quarters to beat a great team. If anything, it showed that when we play at this level, we can play them and we can beat them."

NOTES: Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts was noncommittal before the opener on the Game 2 status of injured C Jusuf Nuskic (broken right leg), saying only, "Hopefully he'll be back at some point during the series." ... Warriors coach Steve Kerr took the same approach with his injured player, F Matt Barnes (sprained right foot), noting, "We'll see how it goes for Wednesday." ... The game featured 22 lead changes, 15 in the third quarter. ... The Trail Blazers are 3-30 in playoff series when losing the first game. ... The win evened the Warriors' all-time playoff record at 145-145.