THE Golden State Warriors did not skip a beat without key point guard Stephen Curry, routing the Houston Rockets 114-81 Wednesday to seal a 4-1 series triumph in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.

    The defending NBA champs will move on to face either the Portland Trail Blazers or Los Angeles Clippers.

    If the Trail Blazers, up 3-2 in the series, can finish off the injury-ravaged Clippers at home Friday, the Western semifinal best-of-seven would start Sunday in Oakland.

    The Warriors almost surely will be without Curry for most, if not all, of the second-round series after he sprained the medial collateral ligament in his right knee during Game 4 against the Rockets on Sunday.

    Golden State improved to 4-2 without the reigning NBA Most Valuable Player by winning the series clincher against the Rockets, with veteran Shaun Livingston stepping into Curry’s starting role and contributing 16 points on 7-for-8 shooting.

    Ten of Livingston’s points came on 4-for-4 shooting and a pair of free throws in the first quarter, during which the Warriors scored the first eight points and suffocated every Rockets effort en route to a 37-20 lead.

    James Harden had 18 points in the quarter, hitting six of eight shots. Meanwhile, his teammates never made a hoop in the 12 minutes, going 0-for-15 from the field and 0-for-7 from 3-point range.

    Dwight Howard’s two free throws provided the only Houston scoring other than by Harden in the period.(SD-Agencies)