Warriors take opener in Houston
HOUSTON (AP) — Kevin Durant scored 37 points and Klay Thompson added 28 to lead Golden State to a 119-106 win in the longawaited showdown with the Houston Rockets in Game 1 of the Western Conference final on Monday night.
Starting a playoff series on the road for the first time since 2014, the Warriors trailed by as many as nine early, but had evened it up by halftime and used a big run at the beginning of the fourth quarter to pull away.
“We’re going to take that first punch and keep punching,” Durant said. Game 2 is Wednesday night in Houston. Eric Gordon opened the final period with a 3-pointer to get the top-seeded Rockets within four, but Thompson scored the first eight points of a 13-4 run to make it 100-87 with about eight minutes left.
Houston used a 9-3 spurt, where James Harden scored five, to cut the lead to 103-96 with less than five minutes to go. But Thompson struck again, hitting a wide-open 3-pointer to put the Warriors ahead by 10 with four minutes left.
Harden scored 41 to lead the Rockets, who lost at home for the second time this post-season.
Steph Curry added 18 for the Warriors, who are in the conference finals for a franchiserecord fourth straight time. It’s Houston’s first trip since 2015, when Golden State won the series in five games.
The Warriors, who are the second seed in the West, opened a playoff series away from Oracle Arena for the first time since 2014 when they lost to the Los Angeles Clippers 4-3 in the opening round.
Houston struggled to slow down Durant all night, and things got even worse when Trevor Ariza picked up his fifth foul with about 10 minutes left in the third with Golden State up by three points.
Durant made two baskets around one by Chris Paul that left the Warriors up 73-68 a couple of minutes later.
Gordon added a layup for Houston after that, but Golden State scored the next six points, with a 3-pointer from Thompson, to make it 79-70 with about 4 1/2 minutes left in the third.
“Houston, they never stop,” Durant said. “We try to get good shots every time down and defend on the other end.”