Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry drives past Portland Trail Blazers forward Alonzo GeeCraig Mitchelldyer
The music was turned up in the locker room and the mood was festive, but Golden State didn't overdo the celebration of the team's first division title in 39 years.
These Warriors aren't done yet.
"We might be a little subdued, but I think everybody is proud of what we've done. We still have 11 games left to keep getting better so I think everybody is focused on that," Stephen Curry said. "But I think everybody is pretty happy right now."
Curry had 33 points and 10 assists and the Warriors pulled away from the short-handed Trail Blazers in the second half for a 122-108 victory on Tuesday night. Andre Iguodala came off the bench to score 21 points for the Warriors, who won their seventh straight to push their record to an NBA-best 58-13.
Golden State hasn't won the Pacific Division crown since the 1975-76 season, the year after the team won the NBA championship.
After the game, many players sported T-shirts that read "Pacific Claimed."
With a comfortable lead on second-place Memphis in the Western Conference, the Warriors have dropped just one of their last 12 games. Playing the second of a back-to-back, the team shot a season-high 60.2 per cent for the game.
"Golden State is a terrific team," Blazers coach Terry Stotts said. "They're solid on both ends of the court and they showed that. They were very good all night. They passed the ball well — they had 30 assists after three quarters and 37 for the game. They kind of put on a clinic as far as how to share the ball."
Damian Lillard had 29 points for the Blazers, who have lost five straight following a 1-4 road trip. Despite the slump, Portland has remained atop the Northwest Division, five games in front of Oklahoma City.
The Blazers were without All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge because of a left index finger sprain, as well as fellow starting forward Nicolas Batum, who has lower back pain. Backup centre Chris Kaman was out because of a right shoulder strain.
Portland was already missing guard Wesley Matthews, who was lost for the rest of the season after rupturing his Achilles tendon on March 5 against Dallas. The Blazers have gone 3-5 without him.
Because of the absences, Portland started a lineup that included regulars Lillard and Robin Lopez, along with Matthews' replacement Arron Afflalo and reserves Alonzo Gee and Dorell Wright.
Golden State limited guard Klay Thompson to 25 minutes because of a sore ankle that kept him out of three games during the team's homestand. Thompson, who finished with 16 points, returned on Monday night for the Warrior's 107-76 victory over the Washington Wizards.
Draymond Green added 14 points and 11 rebounds, while Andrew Bogut had 10 points and 16 rebounds.
"We're very comfortable with how we're going to get shots every single night," coach Steve Kerr said. "Then it's just about executing and not turning the ball over, staying aggressive and making the smart plays."
The Blazers jumped ahead 24-18 early on Lillard's off-balance jumper, and extended the lead to 47-39 on CJ McCollum's 3-pointer.
Lillard's 3 made it 53-41 but Curry answered with consecutive 3-pointers to keep the Blazers from pulling away. Leandro Barbosa's 3-pointer pulled the Warriors within 66-55, but Portland still held a 62-57 advantage at the half.
The Warriors went on a 10-0 run to pull in front 69-66. Lillard hit a 3 to tie it, but Golden State scored nine straight to go up 80-69.
Golden State pushed the lead to as many 17 points. Allen Crabbe's 3-pointer got the Blazers within 100-91 with 8:02 to go, but they couldn't catch up.
THUNDER 127, LAKERS 117
OKLAHOMA CITY — NBA scoring leader Russell Westbrook poured in 27 points and added 11 assists and Enes Kanter contributed 25 points and 16 rebounds for the Thunder's fourth straight victory.
Kanter had a double-double in the first quarter with 15 points and 10 rebounds as Oklahoma City raced out to a 37-27 lead.
After trailing by 15 at the half, the Lakers closed to 70-61 before Westbrook scored twice in 15 seconds on his way to 14 third-quarter points.
The Thunder led 100-88 after three and played reserves most of the fourth quarter.
Jordan Clarkson scored 30 for the Lakers, who lost for the 10th time in their last 12 games.
MAVERICKS 101, SPURS 94.
DALLAS — Monta Ellis matched his season high with 38 points and the Dallas Mavericks rallied in the second half.
Ellis hit 16 of 27 field-goal attempts, bouncing back from his 4-for-22 performance Sunday in a loss at Phoenix. In three games this season against the Spurs, Ellis is averaging 34 points.
Kawhi Leonard led the Spurs with 19 points and Danny Green added 17.
The victory pulled Dallas within percentage points of sixth-place San Antonio in the Western Conference.
BUCKS 89, HEAT 88
MILWAUKEE — Khris Middleton hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer and the Milwaukee Bucks snapped a six-game losing streak with an 89-88 comeback victory in a key game for the sixth spot in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
Bayless missed on a drive down the lane, but Zaza Pachulia tapped the ball back out to Middleton, who buried the winner. He finished with 13.
It was a crucial victory for the Bucks, who improved to 35-36 to remain in sixth place in the conference, while the Heat fell to 32-38. The Bucks also swept the four-game season series with the Heat to ensure the tie-breaker between the teams.
Ilyasova had 19 points and Giannis Antetokounmpo added 16 for the Bucks, who won for just the fourth time in 18 games.
Wade had 21 points and Goran Dragic added 16 for the Heat.
KINGS 107, 76ERS 106
SACRAMENTO — DeMarcus Cousins had 33 points and 17 rebounds and the Sacramento Kings dealt the Philadelphia 76ers their 16th straight road loss.
The Kings limited Philadelphia to no field goals and three points in the final 6:12 of the game to register their first-three-game winning streak since late November.
Rudy Gay had 21 points and eight rebounds and Ray McCallum added 11 points for the Kings, who have a 7-11 record since George Karl began coaching the team in mid-February.
Robert Covington had five 3-pointers and scored 21 for the 76ers.