Craig Mitchelldyer, Associated Press photo
CLEVELAND, Ohio — Kevin Durant became an added obstacle Monday night for Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers.
Durant scored 10 points in 20 minutes after missing two games with a calf injury, and the Warriors swept Portland with a 128-103 victory. A day after the Cavaliers became the first team to sweep its way into the conference semifinals in the East, Golden State became the first team to advance in the west.
The Warriors will await the winner of Utah and the L.A. Clippers, whose series is tied at 2-2 entering Tuesday's Game 5 at Staples Center. Cleveland awaits Toronto or Milwaukee, and the Raptors pulled closer to a rematch with the Cavaliers after their win Monday night. Catch up on the NBA Playoffs in this rewind.
By Matt Goul, cleveland.com
SOUND OFF
While the Warriors welcomed back Durant on Monday, the availability of coach Steve Kerr is in question. Kerr told reporters on Sunday he was unsure when he will return to the bench this postseason. The coach is said to be suffering from ongoing symptoms since back surgery he underwent two years ago.
WHO'S HOT
• Stephen Curry, Golden State: Curry led all scorers in Portland with 37 points, and the Warriors burst out to a 22-3 lead. They scored 45 first-quarter points. Curry finished with eight assists.
• Kyle Lowry, Toronto: Raptors coach Dwane Casey said, "You're going to have to take an arm and a leg off him before you can keep him from playing." Bothered by a bad back, Lowry scored 16 points with 10 assists as Toronto took a 3-2 series lead with a 118-93 win against Milwaukee. The Raptors once trailed this series 2-1, but Lowry now has Toronto a win away from a rematch with the Cavaliers. His effort Monday helped five teammates also reach double figures.
• Norman Powell, Toronto: A shooting guard, Powell was inserted into the starting lineup as the Raptors went small (center Jonas Valanciunas to the bench) after slipping to a 2-1 series deficit. Powell scored 25 points on 8-of-11 shooting in his second start.
WHO'S NOT
• Markieff Morris, Washington: After Game 3, Morris called Atlanta's Paul Millsap a "crybaby." On Monday, Millsap outplayed him to the tune of 19 points, nine rebounds and seven assists to Morris' nine points, four rebounds and 3-of-10 shooting. Morris also committed five fouls, playing just 24 minutes. Millsap led the Hawks to a 111-101 win that evened their best-of-seven series.
• C.J. McCollum, Portland: The Blazers' struggle included a 2-of-12 shooting night by McCollum, who finished with six points.
CAVS COVERAGE
• The Cavaliers' defensive numbers are still poor, but they see improvement. "I thought defensively we took a step forward," coach Tyronn Lue said Sunday.
• However, neither Kevin Love nor J.R. Smith said they learned much from their first-round series with Indiana. Here are five observations from Chris Fedor.
• City Council approved Monday a deal for renovations to Quicken Loans Arena. The city committed about $88 million.
Brandon Dill, Associated Press photo
WHAT TO WATCH TUESDAY
Can Mike Conley and the Memphis Grizzlies seize control of their series and win a third straight game against San Antonio? It's one of three games Tuesday night.
• Oklahoma City at Houston, 8 p.m., Rockets lead series 3-1 (TNT)
• Memphis at San Antonio, 9 p.m., series tied at 2-2 (NBATV)
• Utah at L.A. Clippers, 10:30 p.m., series tied at 2-2 (TNT)
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