Warriors knock out Rockets in Game #6, Dubs win WCSF series
2019.05.10 – Warriors vs Rockets – 2019 NBA Playoffs WCSF Game #6
2019.05.10 – Warriors vs Rockets – 2019 NBA Playoffs WCSF Game #6
Warriors vs Rockets – WCSF Game #6 – Stephen Curry – Had 0 Points At Halftime, Then Activated GODMODE To Eliminate Rockets!
Warriors vs Rockets – WCSF Game #6- Klay Thompson -27 Pts, 7 Threes!
Curry’s Second Half! Warriors knock out Rockets in Game #6
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) drives around Houston Rockets point guard Chris Paul (3), and forward PJ Tucker (17) during the second half in Game 6 of a second-round NBA basketball playoff series, Friday, May 10, 2019, in Houston. Golden State won 118-113, winning the series. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
2019.05.10 – Stephen Curry scored all 33 of his points in the second half and Golden State finish off Houston in six games, Warriors knock out the Rockets 118-113 to advance to the Western Conference finals.
Curry bounced back from the first scoreless first half of his playoff career, coach Steve Kerr stopped to talk with his star’s parents.
Kerr said he told Dell and Sonya Curry: “If that game didn’t personify Steph Curry, I don’t know what does.”
Curry’s huge second half allowed the Warriors to overcome the absence of Kevin Durant.
He heard the chatter about how he’d struggled in this series entering this game and admitted that he was “pretty terrible” before halftime on Friday night.
“A night like tonight doesn’t happen without belief in myself,” Curry said.
Klay Thompson added 27 points to help two-time defending champion Golden State reach the conference finals for a franchise-record fifth straight year and eliminate Houston for the fourth time in five seasons. The Warriors did it with Durant sidelined by a calf injury sustained in the second half of their Game 5 victory.
“That was an absolute grind,” Kerr said. “We’re thrilled to be moving on and excited to have this one in our review mirror.”
James Harden led Houston with 35 points, and Chris Paul added 27.
Harden’s layup got the Rockets within three with less than a minute to go, but Thompson made a 3-pointer with 36.1 seconds remaining to extend Golden State’s lead to 110-104.
Gerald Green then missed a 3 for Houston and the Rockets were forced to foul Curry. He made both shots before Harden’s 3 got Houston within five at 112-107 with 24 seconds left.
Playing with a dislocated finger on his left hand, Curry made two more free throws before P.J. Tucker hit a 3 for Houston. But two more free throws by Curry made it 116-110 with 12.3 seconds left and Harden dribbled it off his foot for the last of his six turnovers.
“We’ve let a lot of opportunities slip away … if you don’t take advantage of opportunities you end up on the losing side,” Harden said.
The Rockets failed to score for a big chunk of the fourth quarter and had to watch the Warriors celebrate a series victory on their home court for the second straight season after they won the conference finals in Houston last year. Harden was 11 of 25 from the field, going 6 of 15 from 3-point range, and 7 of 12 on free throws.
“This one’s going to leave a mark,” coach Mike D’Antoni said. “This is not something you just get over. This one hurts. We played our best and they played their best, and we didn’t knock them out. It was like a heavyweight fight. We didn’t land the blows to at least get back to Golden State.”
Curry struggled early, failing to score in the first half for the first time in 102 career playoff games, and had just 10 points through three periods. But he got going in the fourth, scoring 23 points.
“At halftime we’re tied and I had zero points, you’ve got to like that situation,” Curry said.
There were questions entering the game about how the Warriors would weather the loss of Durant — and his more than 34 points a game. But they didn’t seem to miss a beat, getting 21 from Thompson in the first half before Curry closed it in the fourth.
“When you’re missing one of the greatest players to ever play and the best scorer in the world, you can’t collectively make up for what he does,” Thompson said. “But you can step up in his absence and help out the point production.”
The Rockets had a five-point lead to start the fourth and it was tied at 95 with about 7 ½ minutes to go after three points by Golden State’s Shaun Livingston.
Harden and Curry exchanged baskets soon after that before both teams failed to score for the next 2 ½ minutes. Houston missed five shots in that stretch and the Warriors missed four before Kevon Looney made a layup to put Golden State on top 99-97 with just under four minutes left.
A 3-pointer by Curry gave the Warriors a five-point lead before Harden ended a scoring drought by the Rockets of almost four minutes with a 3-pointer to cut the lead to 102-100 with about 2 ½ remaining.
Harden was called for a charge after that before Curry scored all of Golden State’s points in a 5-2 run that made it 107-102 with 90 seconds left.
WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS
The Warriors are set to make their fifth-straight Western Conference Finals appearance after eliminating the Rockets from the playoffs, joining the Los Angeles Lakers (eight straight from 1982-1989) as the only teams to make five consecutive appearances in the series.
TIP-INS
Warriors: Durant didn’t make the trip to Houston, remaining in the Bay Area to receive treatment for his injury. The Warriors said he’ll be re-evaluated next week. … The Warriors started Andrew Bogut for Durant and he had three rebounds and zero points. … C Damian Jones, who is out with a torn pectoral muscle, has been cleared for contact drills and could be available later in the playoffs if the Warriors advance.
Rockets: Tucker had 15 points and has scored at least 10 points in eight of Houston’s last 11 games. … Clint Capela had with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
THEY SAID IT
Kerr on the performance of Andre Iguodala, who made six 3-pointers and had 17 points: “That game was probably not winnable without Andre’s contribution. Andre just does so much for us on both ends of the floor.”
UP NEXT
The Warriors move on to face the Denver-Portland winner with Game 1 scheduled for Tuesday night in Oakland.
Read more at: Golden State Warriors Media Services / More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA
JEstevez@EMIsportsCentral.com
For more on the Golden State Warriors, see the blog at www.EMIsportsCentral.com
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2019.05.08 – Warriors vs Rockets – 2019 NBA Playoffs WCSF Game #5
Warriors vs Rockets – WCSF Game #5 – FULL GAME HIGHLIGHTS
KD Injured, Warriors Next Man Up Mindset beat Rockets in Game #5
Golden State Warriors’ Kevin Durant, center, limps off the court during the second half of Game 5 of the team’s second-round NBA basketball playoff series against the Houston Rockets on Wednesday, May 8, 2019, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)
2019.05.08 – Kevin Durant gets injured, and the next man up mindset from the Golden State Warriors kicked-in. Klay Thompson and company found a way when the Dubs needed it most.
Thompson scored 27 points, including a key layup with 4.1 seconds left, and Golden State overcame Durant’s calf injury to beat the Houston Rockets 104-99 on Wednesday night for a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference semifinals.
The Warriors have won plenty of games on the postseason stage without their biggest stars.
“Honestly it was a little deflating for a second,” Stephen Curry said, “and then we rallied.”
Durant was scheduled for an MRI exam Thursday after he strained his right calf late in the third quarter. His status for Friday’s Game 6 had yet to be determined, but didn’t seem promising.
“We’ll have to claw our way to one more win,” Curry said.
Durant limped to the locker room after landing awkwardly following a baseline jumper. The two-time reigning NBA Finals MVP finished with 22 points, five rebounds and four assists.
“They’ve been here so many times, have been through these battles for the last five years,” Golden State coach Steve Kerr said. “They’ve got a lot of guts. They just pulled together and got it done. There’s no speech necessary. They knew what they had to do.”
James Harden scored 31 points for the Rockets, who will try to stave off elimination back home in Houston.
“It is a do-or-die but I feel good about it,” coach Mike D’Antoni said.
But the Rockets wasted an opportunity in Game 5. After Durant departed, a couple more Golden State stars helped the Warriors close it out.
Draymond Green received his fourth technical of the postseason with 3:39 left, and then knocked down a 3-pointer on the other end. Thompson followed Green’s 3 with one of his own to make it 97-89 with 2:33 remaining.
“Two very key sequences in that game, two key shots for us,” Green said.
Curry struggled with his shot yet again and finished with 25 points on 9-for-23 shooting. He went 3 of 11 from long range.
Curry hit a 3 with 5:09 to play that made it 89-85. He didn’t even score his first points of the night until a 3 4:22 before halftime.
Golden State nearly gave it away with an awful third quarter, when the Warriors managed just 15 points and committed six turnovers. The game was tied at 72 going into the final 12 minutes.
Harden’s 3 with 3:07 left in the third trimmed Golden State’s lead to 66-62, and then Iman Shumpert made it a one-point game with a 3.
Eric Gordon’s layup with 40.6 seconds remaining gave the Rockets their first lead since the early minutes.
Green had eight points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists in another spectacular effort on both ends. He supplied the energy for Golden State after two losses at Houston evened the series.
The Warriors led by as many as 20 but missed open looks and even layups, clanking shots off the front rim and allowing the tough-minded Rockets to stay close.
Then, they heeded Kerr’s simple message: “Poise and awareness and poise and patience applies to all of life and not just offense,” the coach said beforehand.
The Warriors pulled it off without Durant, whose 35.4 playoff scoring average was best in the NBA coming into the game.
“That looked like it was way worse than a calf strain,” Green said. “I think we did a great job of fighting through that.”
Harden shot 10 for 16 and dished out eight assists. The reigning MVP injured his eyes during the first quarter of Game 2 last Tuesday on a hit by Green as they fought for a rebound. Harden’s left eye was still red leading into Game 5.
The Warriors’ win guarantees their loyal fans in the East Bay at least one more home game at Oracle Arena before the team moves to new Chase Center in San Francisco for next season.
“Tough loss. We had opportunities,” Houston’s Chris Paul said. “Rebounding, we actually was right there in the rebounds. We’ve got to be better, offensively, defensively, especially myself, turnovers. We didn’t get stops when we needed to.”
CRASHING THE BOARDS
The Warriors led the rebounding battle 27-18 after the first half, grabbing eight on the offensive glass, and finished with a 42-39 advantage.
Houston’s PJ Tucker, who had 22 rebounds the previous two games, grabbed 10 more to go with 13 points.
The Rockets out-rebounded the Warriors 55-35 in their Game 3 win, and then 50-43 on Monday in Game 4 — getting 20 from Clint Capela in the two victories. Capela had 14 on Wednesday.
Golden State held an edge on the boards in both Games 1 and 2.
TIP-INS
Rockets: Eric Gordon started 0 for 8 before hitting a 3 with 7:45 left in the third. … F Danuel House sat out again after missing the previous two games with an inflamed right big toe.
Warriors: Green’s eight assists in the first were one off team record for a playoff quarter. Tim Hardaway once had nine in 1991. … Reserve G Shaun Livingston played after he had been questionable with a sore left hip. … Injured C DeMarcus Cousins, who could return at some point this postseason from a torn left quadriceps muscle, did some rehab agility work on the court.
Read more at: Golden State Warriors Media Services / More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA
JEstevez@EMIsportsCentral.com
For more on the Golden State Warriors, see the blog at www.EMIsportsCentral.com
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Rockets even series with Warriors, James Harden led all scores
Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry (30) and Kevin Durant (35) defend to the basket versus Houston Rockets Clint Capela (15) during the first half of Game 4 of a second-round NBA basketball playoff series, Monday, May 6, 2019, in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)
2019.05.06 – The Houston Rockets dug out of a 0-2 hole to even the Western Conference semifinals series with the Golden State Warriors after another game where they held off a late rally to get a 112-108 victory.
James Harden led all scores on Monday night scoring 38 points to even the best-of seven series at 2-2.
“When you’re dealing with these guys, if you let Klay (Thompson) and Steph (Curry) run around and shoot 3s you don’t have no chance,” Harden said. “The only chance we have is to be in to their bodies and make every shot that they take contested.”
The Rockets were up by nine before the Golden State scored the next seven points, capped by a 3 from Stephen Curry, to get within 110-108 with 19 seconds left. Harden made one of two free throws with 11.5 seconds left. Kevin Durant missed a 3 after that. But the Warriors got the rebound and Curry also missed a 3-point attempt before Golden State was forced to foul Chris Paul.
“We got a couple of wide-open looks,” Durant said. “They just didn’t fall for us.”
Paul made one of two free throws with 2.9 seconds left to secure the victory.
2019.05.06 – Warriors vs Rockets – 2019 NBA Playoffs WCSF Game #4
Warriors vs Rockets – WCSF Game #4 – FULL GAME HIGHLIGHTS
2019.05.06 – Warriors vs Rockets – 2019 NBA Playoffs WCSF Game #4
Warriors vs Rockets – WCSF Game #4 – Stephen Curry – 30 Pts, 8 Asts!
Golden State coach Steve Kerr was asked about the physical play of the Rockets, who have several players who are much stockier than his squad.
“They’ve got a lot of middle linebackers on that team,” he said. “They’re sturdy and we’re like volleyball players, long and lean … everybody tries to be physical with us because they should. That’s the best way to try to beat us.”
After losing the first two games of the series on the road, the Rockets head back to Golden State for Game 5 on Wednesday night with momentum on their side after their overtime win in Game 3 before Monday night’s victory.
The Warriors got 34 points from Kevin Durant, who had 46 in the Game 3 loss. Curry, who was criticized after shooting 7 for 23 in Game 3, got off to a good start, scoring 11 points in the first quarter. He cooled off after that, but finished with 30 points on 12 of 25 shooting.
“I didn’t think we got great shots for much of the night,” Kerr said. “We’ve got to be more poised and that has to be a focus.”
Eric Gordon added 20 points for Houston and P.J. Tucker had 17 points and 10 rebounds.
Despite two straight win, the Rockets still don’t think they’ve played their best.
“We’ve got to be better,” Tucker said. “We’ve got to be more aggressive. We’ve got to pick it up.”
Houston made 17 of its 50 3-point attempts, while the Warriors shot just 8 of 33 from downtown with Curry making just 4 of his 14 attempts.
The Rockets were up by nine after three and used an 8-2 run, with four points from Harden, to open the fourth and extend the lead to 101-86. Golden State used an 8-3 run, with six points from Draymond Green, to cut it to 104-94 midway through the quarter.
Houston had a 10-point lead with about four minutes left before a 5-2 run, with a 3 from Curry, got them within 108-101.
Green was shaken up when Harden inadvertently knocked him in the head on the follow through after he made a 3-pointer that put Houston up 71-59 with nine minutes left in the third quarter. Green fell to the court where he remained holding the left side of his head for a couple of minutes. The Warriors called a timeout and he collected himself and remained in the game. The lead grew to 77-60 before Golden State got going.
TIP-INS
Warriors: Green had 15 points and 10 rebounds. … Golden State trailed by as many as 17 in the second half before its late surge.
Rockets: Tucker has scored at least 10 points in six of Houston’s nine playoff games this season and Monday was his third straight game with at least 10 rebounds. … Austin Rivers had 10 points.
ODDS & ENDS
Houston improved to 5-0 in home games this postseason. … This is the second time Golden State has lost consecutive playoff games since 2017. The last time came when Houston won Game 4 and 5 of the conference finals last season. … The Rockets have made 26 more 3-pointers than the Warriors in this series. … Houston out-rebounded Golden State for the second straight game and improved to 4-0 this postseason when winning on the boards. … Gordon, who had a playoff career-high 30 points in Game 3, scored 20 points or more in consecutive playoff games for the first time in his career.
THEY SAID IT
Curry on what people have been saying about him since he struggled in Game 3: “The last 48 hours have been pretty funny, hearing all the noise and chatter about how I’ve been playing in this series, and I take it all in stride and understand what I’m capable of … I know I can play even better. I’m just trying to stay within my own zone with what I expect from myself.”
UP NEXT
Game 6 will be in Houston on Friday night.
Read more at: Golden State Warriors Media Services / More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA
JEstevez@EMIsportsCentral.com
For more on the Golden State Warriors, see the blog at www.EMIsportsCentral.com
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Warriors Waste Lead – Dubs fall to Rockets in OT- WCSF Game #3
Golden State Warriors Kevin Durant (35) shoots to the basket over Houston Rockets forward PJ Tucker (17) and point guard Chris Paul (4) during the first half of Game 3 of a second-round NBA basketball playoff series, Saturday, May 4, 2019, in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)
2019.05.04 – The Golden State Warriors wasted a chance to a 3-0 lead and wound up with a 126-121 overtime fall to the Houston Rockets. The Dubs’ series advantage falls to 2-1 with Game 4 coming up on Monday evening in Houston.
Although the Warriors still control the series, they had a chance to force the Rockets to become the first team in NBA history to overcome a 3-0 series deficit.
James Harden made a 3-pointer to finish off the Golden State Warriors in overtime.
Eric Gordon helped the Rockets get to that point with the best playoff performance of his career.
A layup by P.J. Tucker put Houston up by three with about 2 minutes left and the Warriors missed shots on their next two possessions. That set up the 3-pointer by Harden with 49 seconds left that made it 124-118.
Kevin Durant made three free throws after that, but Harden added a layup to stretch the lead. Stephen Curry, who dislocated a finger in Game 2, missed a wide-open layup and Harden grabbed the rebound to secure the victory.
2019.05.04 – Warriors vs Rockets – 2019 NBA Playoffs WCSF Game #3
Warriors vs Rockets – WCSF Game #3 – FULL GAME HIGHLIGHTS
Warriors vs Rockets – WCSF Game #3 – Kevin Durant – 46 Pts, 6 Asts!
Gordon added a playoff career-high 30 points with a playoff-best seven 3-pointers.
“It’s all about bringing something to the table, offensively, defensively every single night to give yourself a chance to win,” he said.
Durant said Gordon was “very important” to Houston’s win.
“He kept them afloat for a while,” he said.
The Rockets withstood a 46-point performance from Durant and late surge by the Warriors to avoid falling into a 3-0 hole in the best-of-seven series.
Harden led the team despite recovering from injuries to both eyes he sustained in Game 2 when he was hit in the face by Draymond Green. He said they didn’t bother him on Saturday, but both eyes remained bloody red in spots.
“That’s James. That’s what he does,” Houston coach Mike D’Antoni said.
Curry finished with 17 points on 7-for-23 shooting after missing two layups in overtime. He wouldn’t say if his injury was limiting him on Saturday night.
“I’ve just got to make those,” he said. “If I’m out there playing, I’ve got to produce and it just didn’t happen tonight.”
Green added 19 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.
Houston was clinging to a one-point lead when Iguodala’s 3-pointer put Golden State up 112-110 with 45 seconds remaining in the fourth. Harden made two free throws a few seconds after that to tie it and Durant missed a jump shot on the other end to give Houston a chance to win it in regulation.
Chris Paul was in the lane when Klay Thompson forced a jump ball. Harden got the ball but didn’t have time to get a shot off before the buzzer.
The Warriors used a 15-2 run at the end of the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth to take a 94-93 lead with about 10 minutes remaining. Durant was unstoppable in that stretch, scoring all 10 of Golden State’s points to start the fourth.
Tucker, Houston’s defensive stopper who had been on the bench with four fouls, re-entered the game to try and help slow Durant down. Tucker was really unhappy while he sat on the bench and watched Durant single handedly give Golden State the lead.
Asked if he said something to D’Antoni about it to get back in the game he said: “Oh, I said something to all of them.”
Durant cooled off after that, but Iguodala and Thompson both made 3-pointers soon after that and the Warriors remained up by a point with about 8 minutes left in the fourth.
The Rockets were up by nine at halftime, and Harden and Paul made 3-pointers on consecutive possessions in the third to push the lead to 72-61.
A 3-pointer by Curry cut Houston’s lead to seven later in the period before Houston used an 8-2 spurt to extend it to 83-70 with about 3 minutes left in the quarter.
Houston had a 12-point lead after a dunk by Clint Capela with less than a minute left in the third. Golden State scored the last five points of the quarter, with a 3 from Green, to get within 91-84 entering the fourth.
Houston got out to a much better start on Saturday night after being outscored 57-39 in the opening quarter of the first two games and the Rockets only trailed by one entering the second.
They used a 33-point second quarter, powered by 13 points from Gordon, to take a 58-49 lead into halftime.
TIP-INS
Warriors: Durant passed Dwyane Wade for 10th place on the NBA’s career playoff scoring list. … Iguodala scored 16 points. … Golden State made 14 of 33 3-pointers.
Rockets: Gordon has made at least three 3-pointers in all eight playoff games this year. … Capela had with 13 points and 11 rebounds. … Paul had 14 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. … Tucker led the team with 12 rebounds and had three assists, two blocks and seven points.
TUCKER’S VALUE
D’Antoni and Kerr as well as players from both teams raved about the job Tucker did.
“We say it all the time, Tuck doesn’t do any of the glamorous stuff,” Paul said. “All the stuff he does doesn’t show up on the stat sheet … but it’s always nice for other people to see it and appreciate it.”
Kerr said Tucker’s offensive rebounding down the stretch was a key.
“The plays P.J. Tucker made in overtime and the fourth quarter, those were big plays,” Kerr said. “Those are indicators of who played harder.”
Said D’Antoni: “Tuck would not let us lose.”
HARDEN’S EYES
When Harden was asked if his eyes bothered him considering how they looked on Saturday night he answered with a straight face.
“What do you mean, how they look?” he asked.
Paul jumped in quickly with the answer.
“They look crazy,” he said laughing before Harden snickered, too.
UP NEXT
After Monday’s game 4 the series shifts to California where Game 5 is on Wednesday night.
Read more at: Golden State Warriors Media Services / More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA
JEstevez@EMIsportsCentral.com
For more on the Golden State Warriors, see the blog at www.EMIsportsCentral.com
EMI Sports Central – EMI Sports Bay Area: Join the conversation on sports news for SF Bay Area teams: Follow @EMIsports on Twitter, “Like” us on Facebook and sign up for our FREE email newsletters.