The Phnom Penh Post

Rockets romp to level Western finals series with the Warriors

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THE Houston Rockets ramped up the intensity on Wednesday, powering past the NBA champion Golden State Warriors 127-105 to level their Western Conference finals series at one game apiece.

Houston’s Most Valuable Player candidate James Harden scored 27 points and pulled down 10 rebounds. Eric Gordon added 27 off the bench as five players scored in double figures for a Rockets team chastened by a 119-106 series-opening defeat on their home floor on Monday.

“Total team effort,” Harden said. “We played harder and smarter than Game 1. That was the only difference.”

The Rockets signalled their intentions early. Their seven fast-break points in the opening quarter more than doubled the three they mustered in all of Game 1.

Houston connected on three-of-10 from 3-point range in the first period, while the Warriors were zero-for-seven and coughed up seven turnovers.

Up 26-21 after one quarter, the Rockets wouldn’t trail from there.

They led 64-50 by half-time, with four players already in double figures as they stepped up the pace and tightened the defensive screws.

“Everything was fuelled off our defence,” Gordon said. “We hit the open man at the right time and guys were knocking down shots and when we play that way it’s just a fun game.”

Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni said there was no major change in strateg y – just more intensit y and better execution from a Houston team that led t he leag ue wit h 65 reg ular-season wins.

“I don’t want to be cantankero­us,” D’Antoni said. “You have one of the best offences of all time, at least, with Golden State and we’re trying to prove we’re up there with them. You’re not going to come in and change the way you play.

“We are who we are. We just did it better and longer.”

Warriors coach Steve Kerr said that the Rockets’ energy had made all the difference.

“I just think this game was a matter of the Rockets bringing the force that’s necessary to win a game and we didn’t,” Kerr said.

“We had seven turnovers in the first quarter. We set the tone early with our own play and allowed them to get some confidence and some easy buckets in transition.

“But give them the credit, they came out and played a great game. They got everybody going.

“We got what we deser ved – they k icked our butts, [t here is] no ot her way to say it.”

Kevin Durant led the Warriors with 38 points, but Stephen Curry was the only other Golden State player in double figures with 16.

Klay Thompson scored just eight points, Draymond Green six and Andre Iguodala five.

Curry connected on seven of 19 shots from the floor, making just one of eight 3-point attempts in what he called a “frustratin­g night”.

Houston ‘ready for Game 3’

Overall, the Warriors were just nine of 30 from 3-point range. They finished the game with 15 turnovers – 11 of those coming before half-time, by when most of the damage was done.

PJ Tucker, who scored just one point in Game 1, scored 14 of his 22 points in the first half for Houston. Trevor Ariza, another who struggled in Game 1, added 19 points and Chris Paul scored 16 for the Rockets.

“Defensivel­y we were more aggressive. We were smarter,” said Harden, whose Rockets travel to Oakland for Game 3 on Sunday with renewed confidence.

“We still made some mistakes that we can get better at,” Harden said. “We know how tough it is to win [at Golden State] but we’re ready for it.”

The winners of the series will face either the Cleveland Cavaliers or Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals. The Celtics lead the Eastern Conference finals 2-0.

“For us right now the most important game is Game 3,” Paul said. “That’s a tough environmen­t to play in there. But we are who we are and we’ll be ready.”

 ?? AFP ?? James Harden of the Houston Rockets drives against Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals of the 2018 NBA Playoffs on Wednesday at Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.
AFP James Harden of the Houston Rockets drives against Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals of the 2018 NBA Playoffs on Wednesday at Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.

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