MAKING A SPLASH!
Minus Durant, Curry & Klay lead Warriors past Rockets, into fifth straight Western final
WARRIORS 118 ROCKETS 113
In case you forgot, the Splash Brothers were raining three-pointers before Kevin Durant arrived. And they’ll continue to do so if Durant leaves Golden State.
With Durant out Friday night be- cause of a calf injury, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson combined for 60 points and 11 three-pointers as the Warriors eliminated their rivals, the Houston Rockets, 118113, in Game 6.
Curry scored all of his 33 points in the second half, while James Harden came up short. That’s on-brand for Harden in
the playoffs, and now he has to wonder — along with point guard Chris Paul and coach Mike D’Antoni — whether the Rockets will ever get past Golden State.
Even if Durant leaves in free agency.
“We’ve been here before, we’ve won big games,” Curry said. “We miss our guy [Durant], this whole playoff run he’s been the best player in the league. So the best we could do is get his back tonight.”
Without Durant — who would’ve also been out for a Game 7 — the Rockets had their best opportunity to topple the defending champs. Instead, the Rockets were eliminated by the Warriors for the fourth time in five years.
“This is going to leave a mark,” D’Antoni said. “This is not something you get over with. This one hurts.”
The first half was bizarre. Curry, the two-time MVP, was scoreless on five shots. He dealt with foul trouble, a painful dislocated finger on his off-hand, and managed just 12 minutes in those opening two quarters.
Still, the Warriors led for most of the first half, and that was because Thompson caught fire with 21 points, including five threes. The Rockets never had control and Harden, though he scored 35 points, was inefficient. He missed 14 of 25 shot attempts, and also missed five of 12 free throws.
Paul was much better — 27 points, 11 assists — but couldn’t defend Golden State’s backcourt. Then the offense failed. With the game tied at 97, the Rockets went scoreless for nearly four minutes.
Durant didn’t travel with the Warriors after straining his calf in Game 5 on Wednesday. It’s unclear when or if he’ll return in the Western Conference Finals, which starts Tuesday against either the Trail Blazers or Nuggets.
It has been assumed by many around the NBA that Durant will leave the Warriors in the summer, with the Knicks as the favorite. But nobody really knows what Durant will do, and he has the right to change his mind.
Without Durant, the Warriors reminded the league that Curry and Thompson are still the league’s best backcourt.