The Blazers led by as many as 17 points in the first half, but couldn't hold off the Warriors, who can clinch the series with a win Monday night in Game 4 at the Moda Center.
Golden State was without Kevin Durant, who was sitting for a second straight game cause of a left calf strain, and coach Steve Kerr stayed back at the team hotel because of illness.
The Warriors took a 108-100 lead after Andre Iguodala's dunk with 4:05 to go.
Noah Vonleh's dunk got Portland within four at 110-106 with 1:29 left, but Curry answered with a 3-pointer that all but sealed it, sending fans streaming for the exits.
CJ McCollum led the Blazers with 32 points, while Damian Lillard added 31.
Portland saw the return of big man Jusuf Nurkic after he missed the final seven games of the regular season and the first two playoff games at Golden State because of a non-displaced fracture in his right leg. There had been speculation that Nurkic, a 7-footer known as the Bosnian Beast, could return for the playoffs because he has been shooting around in warmups. Playing limited minutes, he finished with two points and 11 rebounds.
The Warriors routed the Blazers 110-81 in Game 2 on Wednesday night. Durant injured his calf in the third quarter of Sunday's 121-109 Game 1 victory, but finished with 32 points and 10 rebounds.
Energized by a raucous home crowd, Portland jumped out to an early 17-9 lead on Vonleh's dunk. The Blazers led by as many as 10, but Golden State closed the gap to 24-21 on McGee's layup.
Portland extended the lead in the second quarter, with Al-Farouq Aminu and Allen Crabbe showing spark after being largely quiet in the first two games. Crabbe's 3-pointer and a free throw put Portland up 49-33.
A 14-5 run put the Blazers up 65-48, but Curry hit a 3-pointer and a long jumper for the Warriors to close out the half down 67-54. Curry and Thompson were off in the opening half, going 8 of 25 from the field with just two 3-pointers — both from Curry.
The Warriors went on a 21-3 run to pull in front 85-83, capped by a pair of baskets from Iguodala and Draymond Green. Portland led 88-87 going into the final quarter.
Warriors assistant Mike Brown stood in for Kerr, who still experiences lingering symptoms from complications following two back surgeries after the franchise's run to the 2015 championship. He missed the first 43 games last season dealing with symptoms such as headaches, nausea and an aching neck.
Despite his prolonged absence, the Warriors went 73-9 last season and played in the NBA championship game. Kerr was named Coach of the Year.
"I don't know all of the circumstances," Brown said before the game. "He's just not feeling well, and we'll see how he feels later on."
Matt Barnes (right ankle/foot sprain), and Shaun Livingston (right index finger sprain) were also out for the Warriors.
The Warriors defeated the Blazers in five games in the second round last season, en route to the NBA Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The surprising Blazers got past the Los Angeles Clippers in the opening round after falling to a 2-0 deficit.
Golden State finished atop the conference this season with the best overall record in the NBA (67-15). The Blazers finished eighth after a late-season surge that saw them go 17-6 after March 1.
TIP-INS
Warriors: David West was assessed a flagrant foul for pushing Portland's Evan Turner in the first half. Turner was handed an unsportsmanlike conduct technical. ... The Philadelphia Warriors won the inaugural league title with a Game 5 win against Chicago 70 years ago on Saturday.
Trail Blazers: Portland's bench, which struggled in the first two games of the series, combined for 19 points and 13 rebounds in the first half. ... Lillard has 15 playoff games with 25-plus, second-most in franchise history to Clyde Drexler with 29.
UP NEXT
The Warriors can clinch the series on Monday night (Tuesday in Manila) at the Moda Center.
source: philstar.com
