Hard’ loss
Star’s flub in final ticks costs Rockets
OAKLAND, Calif. — James Harden had Game 2 on his fingertips — and then he didn’t.
Now the Warriors have the Western Conference finals in their grasp.
Stephen Curry scored 33 points before Harden lost the ball in the closing seconds, and the Warriors held off the Houston Rockets 9998 on Thursday night to take a 20 lead in the series.
Harden rallied the Rockets from 17 points down in the second quarter and had a chance to finish off the comeback in the fourth. Instead, Klay Thompson harassed him and Curry came over to trap Harden, who lost the ball as time expired.
“It’s great competition,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “It’s two teams that really want to get to the finals.”
Harden fell to the floor and put his hands over his head as the Warriors celebrated on the court, the sellout crowd roared and goldenyellow con fetti fell from the rafters.
Harden had 38 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists, and Dwight Howard overcame a sprained left knee that slowed him down to finish with 19 points and 17 rebounds for a Rockets team headed home in a major hole. Game 3 is Saturday in Houston. Curry, the NBA MVP, made five 3pointers to go with six assists and three rebounds. He got a big boost from his teammates — notably Andrew Bogut, Draymond Green and Thompson — to regroup after the Warriors lost the big lead in the first half.
But the Warriors pulled ahead again late in the fourth quarter because of Curry — with his shot and his passes.
Curry connected on a 3pointer, then found Bogut under the rim for a layup that sent the 7footer flexing his mus cles and shouting to the roaring, yellowshirt wearing crowd. Bogut missed the ensuing free throw, but the Warriors led 9689 with 2:25 left.
Harden, the MVP runnerup, kept finding ways to draw fouls and brought Houston back on free throws. The Rockets also forced the Warriors into an 8second, backcourt violation before Harden found Howard for an alleyoop that sliced Golden State’s lead to 9998 with 33 seconds remaining.
Harrison Barnes missed a difficult reverse layup contested by Howard as the shot clock nearly expired. Harden got the ball down the court, and Rockets coach Kevin McHale elected not to call timeout because his team had the Warriors scrambling and outmanned.
Harden was trapped by Thompson, and Curry came over as Harden lost the ball. Time expired amid the scramble.
“I will take our best player heading downhill on a broken court any day of the week. That’s where he feasts,” McHale said.