OAKLAND, Calif. -- From the opening tip, Klay Thompson shot lights-out and even heaved one in from way out in Stephen Curry territory. Draymond Green began yapping from the start while doing his thing to make plays every which way, calling on his teammates to bring an edge on defense.
With Curry sidelined because of a sprained right knee, Green and Thompson took charge again. Their supporting cast came through in the clutch, too.
Thompson scored 37 points in another brilliant performance as his fellow "Splash Brother" watched injured, and the Golden State Warriors dominated once more without their MVP to beat the Portland Trail Blazers 118-106 Sunday in the opener of the Western Conference semifinals.
"Everything has to be racheted up," said Green, who posted his second career postseason triple-double with 23 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists for the defending champions. "I just told the guys that we've got to come out with a defensive mindset."
The offense happened on its own, with all five starters scoring in double figures.
Thompson hit seven more 3-pointers to become the first player in NBA history to make at least seven 3s in three straight playoff games.
Game 2 of the best-of-seven series is Tuesday night at Oracle Arena.
Golden State reserve Anderson Varejao and Portland's Gerald Henderson were ejected late in the third quarter after receiving their second technical fouls. Both were hit with a technical at the 3:29 mark of the third when Varejao tripped Henderson after they collided and the Portland guard jumped up, pointing a finger at his opponent's face. They kept jawing a few minutes later and were tossed with 15.1 seconds left in the period.
Thompson hit a Curry-esque 30-foot 3-pointer in the opening minutes followed by another jumper to put Golden State up 10-2, and the Warriors ran with it from there. Thompson scored 18 of his points in the first quarter on 7-for-10 shooting with four 3s as Golden State built a 37-17 lead.
Damian Lillard had another slow start back home in the Bay Area, missing 11 of his first 13 shots before finishing with 30 points -- 10 on free throws. Thompson had the tough chore of stopping him.
Shaun Livingston added 12 points and six assists after scoring 16 in each of his first-round starts in place of Curry.
The MVP injured his MCL when he slipped on a wet spot just before halftime of a Game 4 win at Houston in the first round last Sunday. He said Friday he hoped to do some shooting within a day or two, and that happened Saturday. He still will have to test the knee by putting pressure on it and planting on it when he shoots, then in some 5-on-5 scrimmages.
The Warriors had 38 and 30 assists their previous two games -- including six quarters without Curry -- by generating the kind of snappy ball movement coach Steve Kerr called for without Curry's playmaking. Then 27 more assists Sunday.
"They are an elite team either way, and they showed that tonight," said Lillard, his voice hoarse because of a chest cold. "We've just got to understand they're a good first-quarter team. We've got to be better from the start of the game."
Curry, dressed in a dark blue blazer and black shirt, emerged on the bench midway through the second quarter and received big cheers during a timeout. He was far less animated this time after picking up teammate Ian Clark during Wednesday's elimination of the Houston Rockets. His knee told him that was a bad idea, but he did resume light shooting Saturday in hopes of playing Game 3.
"We just got into a good groove Games 4 and 5 against Houston and that carried over," Kerr said. "Our guys have an understanding of what we are trying to accomplish, how we have to play without Steph."
Sports on 05/02/2016