AP-NW–Sports Right Now/570
TRAIL BLAZERS-WARRIORS
Warriors rally in fourth for 2-0 series lead on Portland
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Klay Thompson scored 27 points and gave Golden State its first lead of the game on a 3-pointer with 5:33 left, and the Warriors rallied to beat the Portland Trail Blazers 110-99 on Tuesday night for a 2-0 lead in their Western Conference semifinal series.
Draymond Green added 17 points, 14 rebounds, seven assists and four blocked shots in another win without injured MVP Stephen Curry, sidelined with a sprained MCL in his right knee.
Game 3 is Saturday in Portland, and the reigning MVP might be back for that one.
NBA Finals MVP Andre Iguodala’s two free throws at 7:25 trimmed the Blazers’ lead to 91-88 and Thompson’s 3 at 6:44 tied it, igniting the sellout crowd inside deafening Oracle Arena as the defending champions erased an early 17-point deficit.
WARRIORS-VAREJAO
Warriors’ Varejao says tripping Henderson not intentional
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Golden State backup big man Anderson Varejao insists he didn’t deliberately trip Trail Blazers guard Gerald Henderson in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinal playoff series.
Yet after watching the replay, he understands it sure looked like he did it on purpose.
Portland coach Terry Stotts called it a “dirty play” on Monday. Then Tuesday, the NBA ruled it a Flagrant 1 foul on Varejao.
The 33-year-old Varejao, a 12th-year NBA veteran from Brazil, says “I would never try to hurt anybody, I would never do that.”
He and Henderson were ejected late in the third quarter of Sunday’s game 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. Henderson 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.
MARINERS-ATHLETICS
Mariners hit 3 home runs to power past the Athletics
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Robinson Cano, Kyle Seager and Leonys Martin hit home runs, Hisashi Iwakuma pitched seven solid innings and the Seattle Mariners beat the Oakland Athletics 8-2 on Tuesday night.
Iwakuma (1-3) took a shutout into the sixth inning and allowed four hits to end a career-worst, four-game losing game dating to last September. He walked two and stuck out three.
Norichika Aoki and Adam Lind also drove in runs for the Mariners, who have won 10 of their past 13 games. Aoki has hit safely in all 14 games he’s had an at-bat against the A’s.
Khris Davis homered and Jed Lowrie had two hits and drove in a run for the A’s, who have lost five of seven and have dropped six consecutive series to the Mariners.
Sonny Gray (3-3) allowed a career high-matching seven runs and 11 hits in his seven-plus innings.
MARINERS-ZYCH
Zych put on DL
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — The Mariners have put right-handed pitcher Tony Zych on the 15-day disabled list with tendinitis in his rotator cuff.
The team also recalled right-hander Steve Johnson from Triple-A Tacoma to take Zych’s place.
Mariners manager Scott Servais says Zych “just kind of had some nagging soreness” in his shoulder over the previous week or so.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press.
