Andrew Bogut was a fortress and Klay Thompson scored at will in the Golden State Warriors' domination of the Portland Trail Blazers in game one of their NBA Western Conference semi-final series.
The Warriors, without injured star Stephen Curry, jumped on the visiting Trail Blazers early, taking a 20-point first quarter lead and were never in danger.
The defending champion Warriors won 118-106 in Oakland on Sunday.
Thompson hit his first three shots and ended the game with 37 points, sinking seven of his 14 three-point attempts.
When the Trail Blazers attempted to go inside 213cm tall Australian centre Bogut was waiting, intimidating or swatting away shots.
Bogut had 10 points, 12 rebounds, three blocked shots and two steals while Trail Blazers centre Mason Plumlee had just one point.
"The big fella was down there helping and he was great tonight," Warriors forward Draymond Green, praising Bogut, said.
"He protected the rim."
Green was also a menace for the Trail Blazers, achieving a triple-double of 23 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists.
The Trail Blazers made the semi-finals after first round opponents, the Los Angeles Clippers, were decimated by season-ending injuries to All-Stars guard Chris Paul and power forward Blake Griffin.
With Curry suffering a knee sprain a week earlier against the Houston Rockets, Trail Blazers guard All-Star Damian Lillard was also expected to pose a challenge for the weakened Warriors.
The Warriors had too many other weapons and a deep bench.
Lillard had 30 points and five assists.
Game two will also be on the Warriors' home court in Oakland on Tuesday, with game three in Portland on Saturday.
Curry is hoping to begin running and taking part in drills on the court on Monday and feels "pretty good" about his chances of playing in game three.
Earlier on Sunday, the Miami Heat clinched their first round series against the Charlotte Hornets in the Eastern Conference 106-73
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