Rockets fire back in finals

HOUSTON — The Houston Rockets were the best team in the NBA during the regular season.

They played like it Wednesday night, using a balanced scoring attack to rout the Golden State Warriors 127-105 and even the Western Conference finals at one game apiece. Eric Gordon and James Harden each scored 27 points, two of five Rockets who scored at least 16 points in the bounce-back victory.

“We can beat anybody anywhere at any time playing the way we play,” Houston coach Mike D’Antoni said.

Houston didn’t trail after the first quarter and led by double digits most of the night. Game 3 is Sunday night in Oakland, Calif., and the Rockets should be feeling much better than after their deflating 119-106 loss in the series opener.

P.J. Tucker added a playoff career-high 22 points and Trevor Ariza had 19 as both stepped up after struggling in Game 1. Tucker had just one point in that game, while Ariza scored eight but was limited on defense after committing his fifth foul early in the third quarter.

“I never worry about my offense … it’s all on defense,” Tucker said. “If we get stops, we’ll be able to run. It changes the game, and it changes the way we play, and we know that.”

Golden State’s Kevin Durant had 38 points, one more than in the opener, but Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson combined for just 24 points after the pair went for 46 in Game 1.

Houston wasn’t able to slow down Durant but did a much better job of limiting open 3-pointers by Thompson and Curry, who combined to shoot 3-for-12 from behind the arc.

“They were desperate tonight and played like it,” Golden State coach Steve Kerr said, “and we weren’t and it showed.”

Houston avoided losing consecutive games for the first time this postseason, and the Warriors lost in the second game of a playoff series for the first time since the 2015 NBA Finals, snapping a 10-game winning streak in such games.

“They were more settled tonight, and they hit timely shots,” Durant said. “The first quarter was still the most important part of the game. Eric Gordon hit two big 3s, and that kind of settled them in. Those shots did it for them.”