Warriors roll into second round of playoffs without Curry

Golden State Warriors’ Brandon Rush, Ian Clark, Anderson Varejao and Stephen Curry, from left, celebrate a score against the Houston Rockets during the first half in Game 5 of a first-round NBA basketball playoff series Wednesday, April 27, 2016, in Oakland, Calif. AP

OAKLAND, Calif. — Klay Thompson scored 27 points with seven 3-pointers and the Golden State Warriors rolled into the second round of the playoffs without injured superstar Stephen Curry, thoroughly embarrassing the Houston Rockets 114-81 on Wednesday night in Game 5.

Draymond Green added 15 points, nine rebounds and eight assists for the Warriors, who will face the winner of the Clippers-Trail Blazers series. Portland leads 3-2.

Without their MVP, Curry’s fellow Splash Brother set the tone from the opening tip. Thompson became the first player in NBA history to make at least seven 3s in consecutive playoff games, while Shaun Livingston scored 16 points for his third double-digit performance in three games while starting in Curry’s place this series.

Curry, in a brown sport coat on the bench while nursing his sprained right knee, emphatically bobbed his head, clapped and bowed to Thompson during starter introductions. He even worked the officials during a timeout, and gestured with hand signals to celebrate big plays.

James Harden scored 25 of Houston’s 37 first-half points on the way to 35 points, but the Rockets had no chance with a one-man show against the deep defending champions.

So much for Jason Terry’s guarantee there would be a Game 6 back in Houston.

Thompson hit a way-back, Curry-like 3 from 31 feet at the top of the arc with 5:37 left in the third. He shot 7 of 11 from long range, 10 for 14 overall.

Curry could only grin, cheer and enjoy every second of seeing his team do so well without him.

The NBA’s leading scorer is sidelined for at least two weeks with a sprained MCL that happened when he slipped awkwardly on the final play of the first half of Sunday’s Game 4 and his legs split apart. The Warriors learned Monday they would have to push forward without him for the near future and likely most of the second round.

A day after Steve Kerr was voted NBA Coach of the Year, his Golden State team took the first step toward a repeat title by following up that record 73-win season by so confidently handling Houston.

Thompson started things off with a quick 3-pointer, igniting the yellow-clad, “Strength in Numbers” sellout crowd at Oracle Arena. Green also hit from long range and Houston called a quick timeout.

Harden scored 14 early points on 6-of-7 shooting, but the rest of the Rockets were 0 for 16 before Patrick Beverley’s follow shot with 11:26 left in the second quarter following Michael Beasley’s shanked alley-oop dunk try.

From the moment Curry went down, the Warriors took their game up a notch with a spectacular second half in Game 4, finishing the 121-94 victory with a playoff-record 21 3-pointers and 38 assists on 46 field goals.

They spoke in the past couple of days about continuing that momentum, and in the aftermath of Curry’s injury and Clippers stars Chris Paul and Blake Griffin going down, Kerr reminded his team these moments can be fleeting.

“Who the hell knows what’s going to happen from one game to the next? It’s really sad,” he said.

Terry guaranteed a Game 5 win, telling the Houston Chronicle, “That’s going to be a long flight for them to come back to Houston.” Amused, Golden State just shrugged it off.

Dwight Howard capped his awful series with eight points on 3-for-13 shooting and 21 rebounds.

Perhaps his most memorable moment Wednesday came when he and Green exchanged words late in the first half, drawing double technicals.

ONE YEAR LATER

This game was played 11 months to the day after the teams met in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals and Golden State won 104-90 to reach the NBA Finals for the first time in 40 years on the way to the franchise’s first championship since 1975.

TIP-INS

Rockets: Houston has lost 16 of 18 to Golden State. … Shortly after the double technical, interim Rockets coach J.B. Bickerstaff was whistled for a T. … Beverley played 25-plus minutes after injuring his right hamstring during Sunday’s Game 4.

Warriors: In the six quarters after Curry went down Sunday, Golden State outscored Houston 179-119. … The Warriors are 4-2 without Curry this season. … They have lost only two home games total in the postseason dating to the start of last year’s run. … Run TMC Golden State star Mitch Richmond was in attendance and will be inducted into the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame next month. Of his accomplishments, what’s missing? “I always wanted to be a male model,” he quipped.