WASHINGTON, April 19 (Xinhua) -- All-Star guard Steph Curry scored 34 points off the bench to help the Golden State Warriors beat the Denver Nuggets 126-106 at home for a 2-0 lead in the NBA playoffs on Monday.
Jordan Poole finished with 29 points and 8 assists on 5-of-10 from the 3-point range. Klay Thompson scored 21 points.
In the first two quarters, the two teams were evenly matched, but the Warriors scored 44 points in the third quarter to extend their lead to a 20-point cushion and never looked back.
Nuggets center Nikola Jokic finished with 26 points and 11 rebounds.
The Dallas Mavericks played without all-star guard Luka Doncic due to a left calf strain, but Jalen Brunson hit top form and helped them beat the Utah Jazz 110-104.
The Jazz were unable to stop Brunson despite Donovan Mitchell's 34 points and Rudy Gobert's 17 rebounds. The Mavericks guard set a career-high of 41 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists. The two teams were tied 1-1 in the best of seven series.
In another game, the Philadelphia 76ers won 112-97 at home to take a 2-0 lead over the Toronto Raptors.
Joel Embiid led the 76ers with 31 points and 11 rebounds, Tobias Harris contributed 20 points and 10 rebounds, and Tyrese Maxey added 23 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists for the 76ers. ■
