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PORTLAND, Ore. -- It was one of those big-moment times that comes along only in the playoffs, and the Golden State Warriors needed a big-moment player. On came Stephen Curry to the rescue. Curry, back after missing the previous four games with a sprained right knee, scored 17 of his 40 points in overtime as the Warriors rallied to a 132-125 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday night at the Moda Center.
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The Warriors grabbed a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal series thanks to Curry's heroics.
"He took over the game," teammate Draymond Green said of Curry, who scored 27 of his points in the fourth quarter and overtime. "Put us on his shoulders from the start of OT. He scored the first bucket, and there was no looking back from there.
"He did exactly what we needed him to do. I don't know if you expect this at this point, coming off what he just came off of. That's why he is who he is."
Curry's 17 points were the most ever scored by a player in overtime, either in the regular season or the postseason. The NBA's reigning Most Valuable Player, who came off the bench, also had nine rebounds and eight assists.
When Curry first entered the game midway through the first quarter, the Warriors trailed 16-2.
Klay Thompson scored 23 points and Green collected 21 points, nine rebounds, seven blocked shots and five assists for the Warriors, who took a 3-1 lead in the Western Conference semifinals.
Damian Lillard scored 36 points and handed out 10 assists, CJ McCollum added 24 points, and Al-Farouq Aminu chipped in 18 points and 13 rebounds for the Blazers, who will attempt to extend the series by winning Game 5 is Wednesday night in Oakland, Calif.
Curry wasn't given final clearance to play until he went through his normal warm-up routine 90 minutes before the game. Then he delivered one of the most remarkable performances of his seven-year pro career.
"The guy has basically played one game in three weeks," Golden State coach Steve Kerr said. "I expected a lot of rust. I don't think anyone could have predicted that kind of explosion."
Curry played 37 minutes -- 24 of them after intermission -- in part because starting point guard Shaun Livingston was ejected after drawing back-to-back technical fouls in the second quarter.
"It put us in a tough spot, especially with Steph's comeback," Kerr said. "We were expecting to play Steph maybe 25 minutes, monitor him and see how he held up. Once he got going, he didn't look tired. There were only once or twice when he looked tired, and we got him a breather. I was amazed at his conditioning."
Curry started poorly, missing his first nine 3-point attempts. He made five of his last seven shots from beyond the arc, though. Curry scored 10 points in the fourth quarter and the Warriors' first dozen points -- and 17 of their 21 -- in overtime.
"It took me awhile to get into the flow," Curry said. "Being out so long, it was weird walking back on the court, with the crowd out there going crazy and that competitive atmosphere again. I was just trying to get my bearings, trying to make some plays and get a rhythm. It took 48 minutes, and things finally clicked."
It didn't start well for Golden State. Lillard provided nine points as the Blazers jumped on top 16-2, with the Warriors opening 1-for-12 from the field.
The Blazers extended the margin to 21-5 before Golden State restored some order with a 9-0 run to get within 21-14. The Blazers led throughout the first half and took a 67-57 lead into intermission.
Portland's lead was 71-59 when Thompson got hot, sinking four consecutive 3-pointers as the Warriors went on a 23-7 run to go in front 82-78. Golden State carried an 86-85 edge into the final period.
The Warriors led 92-87 with nine minutes left, but the Blazers rallied to go back ahead 96-95, and it was a battle through the rest of regulation.
Portland led 107-103 before Curry buried a 3-pointer with 2:01 to go. Lillard answered with a jumper to make it 109-106 with 1:47 remaining. Green scored on a dunk to close the gap to 109-108, but Mason Plumlee's layup pushed Portland in front 101-98 with 58.6 seconds left.
Harrison Barnes evened the count at 101-101 on a 3-point shot with 51.7 seconds to go, the final points of regulation. Lillard missed a fadeaway jumper with 22 seconds to play. The Warriors rebounded and didn't call for a timeout. Curry missed a running bank shot, and Green's tip-in attempt failed to drop as time expired, forcing an extra session.
Curry scored the Warriors' first 12 points of overtime for a 123-118 lead with 1:51 to go. Moments later, Curry buried another 3-pointer, and it was 128-120 with 1:05 remaining. The Blazers got no closer than seven points the rest of the way.
"(The Warriors) are a championship team, and we competed with them," Lillard said. "We were right there. We were one or two stops away from winning the game. We let one get away. Now we have to go down there and get one on their court."
NOTES: Golden State G Curry finished 16-for-32 from the field, hitting 10 of 14 shots after the third quarter. His 40 points were four shy of his career playoff high. ... Portland G Damian Lillard finished 9-for-30 from the field, including 5-for-18 from 3-point range. He made his first two 3-point attempts, then missed 10 in a row. He was 3-for-18 from the field after three quarters. ... Golden State has not lost back-to-back games all season. ... Since 2013, the Warriors have won at least one road game in nine straight series. ... It was only the fourth loss for Portland in its last 26 home games. The Blazers are now 4-1 at home in the postseason.
