Stephen Curry was the talk of the town before the Warriors’ matchup against the Rockets — shocking, right? It was with good reason, as Curry tweaked his right ankle in game one and was questionable for the second game. Golden State played just their fourth contest of the year without Curry and was able to pull out a victory over Houston, 115-106, as Klay Thompson set the tone.
The Rockets bounced back from the shellacking they got in the first game, and they played well through throughout this one. Josh Smith (9) and James Harden (6) combined for 15 of the Rockets’ 30 first quarter points, and Harden even dished out five dimes. Golden State got off to a hot start as well, putting up 33 in the period with nine points from Andre Iguodala, five from Klay Thompson, and five from Draymond Green; Green added six rebounds and three assists.
Thompson and Harden then got into a bit of a duel in the second quarter. Klay put down 15 on 4/7 shooting, and Harden got all ten of his points from the free-throw line. Patrick Beverley had seven points, Dwight Howard had six, and Houston put up 28 as a team. Iguodala had five more points, and the Warriors recorded 33 in the period, holding a 66-58 lead at the half.
Both sides cooled off in the third, and Houston was able to outscore Golden State 21-20. James Harden was still the go-to guy and had seven points and three assists to lead the Rockets; Dwight Howard added six. Klay Thompson and Andrew Bogut each had four, but Marreese Speights and Shaun Livingston led the scoring with five each. Green was almost a non-factor on offense, finishing just 1/4 with two points. The Warriors held just a seven-point lead going into the fourth.
Golden State attacked Houston vehemently in the final quarter and shot a staggering 21 free throws. They hit 17. Not surprisingly, Thompson was at the center of all the offense yet again and had ten points on 10/11 shooting from the charity stripe. Unlike earlier in the game, James Harden had a hard time getting to the line during the final frame. He attempted just two free throws — hitting one — en route to five points. Houston’s leading scorers were Michael Beasley with eight, and Jason Terry with seven.
Klay Thompson tied his playoff career-high with 34 points on 8/20 shooting and 15/16 from the foul line. Iguodala and Livingston had 18 and 16, respectively, and Draymond Green nearly recorded a triple-double with 12 points, 14 boards, and eight assists. James Harden led the Rockets with 28 points and 11 assists, and Beverley and Terry each had 13.
Game three is set for Thursday, April 21 at 9:30 PM EST in Houston.
