SAN ANTONIO -- Stephen Curry scored 36 points and the Golden State Warriors closed out the Western Conference Final against the injury-ravaged San Antonio Spurs with a 129-115 victory Monday night, becoming the first team in league history to start the playoffs 12-0.
WARRIORS vs SPURS
Golden State led by as many as 22 points in cruising to its third straight NBA Finals. The Warriors await a possible third straight championship matchup with Cleveland, which leads Boston 2-1 in the East finals.Warriors: Golden State has won five straight games over San Antonio, including the regular season, which is the team's longest against the Spurs. .. Warriors starting center Zaza Pachulia missed his second straight game with a bruised right heel.
Pachulia's absence allowed him to escape the ire of the Spurs fans, who blame him for Leonard's absence after his controversial close-out on a 3-pointer that Popovich called "dangerous" and "unsportsmanlike." ... Golden State has won six straight road games in the postseason, which is a franchise record.
Spurs: Ginobili had come off the bench in 55 straight playoff games prior to his start in Game 4. ... Murray's four steals in the first half tied Ginobili's franchise record for most steals in a playoff game. ... Ginobili became the 24th player in league history to reach 3,000 career points in the postseason.
He now has 3,009 in 15 seasons, having competed in the postseason every year of his career. ... Danny Green has made a 3-pointer in 76 playoff games.