Warriors close out series in H-town
Dubs throw it back to 2015
HOUSTON – The Warriors could not lean on Kevin Durant because his right calf remains strained. Who knew the Warriors could not initially lean on Stephen Curry because he could not shoot?
The Warriors still prevailed with a 118-113 Game 6 win over the Houston Rockets to close out the Western Conference semifinals because of three reasons.
First, Curry shed his shooting struggles. After going scoreless in the first half off of five missed shots, Curry finished with 33 points while going 9-of-20 from the field and 4-of-11 from 3. Curry drilled a dagger 3 for a 107-102 lead with 1:27 left in the game.
Two, Klay Thompson offered his most signature game since delivering that memorable Game 6 performance three years ago in Oklahoma City. Thompson added 27 points while going 10-of-20 from the field and 7-of-13 from deep. After he made a 3 for a 110-104 cushion with 36.1 seconds left, Thompson pointed to majority owner Joe Lacob on the bench.
Third, after first introducing “Strength in Numbers” during their NBA championship run in 2015, the Warriors brought a whole new meaning to the slogan. The Warriors began the game starting Andrew Bogut at center, offering a throwback moment to when the Warriors’ core won their first title in 2015 and set the NBA regular-season record for most wins in 2016. The Warriors ended the game with leaning on dependable role players in Andre Iguodala (17 points), Kevon Looney (14) and Shaun Livingston (11). They also held Rockets guard James Harden to 35 points albeit on a 11-of-25 clip.
As a result, the Warriors flexed their dominance in various ways. The Warriors maintained an NBA record with a road win in their 21st consecutive playoff series. The Warriors showed they survive without Durant, who had averaged 34.2 points on 51.3 percent in the postseason. And the Warriors can rest until Tuesday before playing Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals against the winner of the Denver Nuggets-portland Trail Blazers playoff series.