Curry misses crucial shot attempt in Warriors’ overtime loss to Rockets in Game 3.
Warriors squander chance to take commanding lead
HOUSTON >> The Warriors anticipated the loud boos. The Warriors anticipated the added intensity. The Warriors anticipated the strategic adjustments.
Unlike it has played out for most of the year anytime they encountered adversity away from home, the Warriors folded.
The Warriors walked out of here with a 126121 overtime loss to the Houston Rockets in Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals on Saturday. The Rockets reduced the Warriors’ series lead to 2-1. And though the Warriors still control the series, they squandered a chance to take a 3-0 series lead and force the Houston Rockets to become the first team in NBA history to overcome a 3-0 series deficit.
The reasons?
Kevin Durant (46 points on 14-of-31 shooting) offered a stark contrast to the Warriors’ other normally prolific scorers in Stephen Curry (17 points on 7-of-23 shooting) and Klay Thompson (16 points on 6-of-16 shooting). James Harden
almost matched Durant’s production with 41 points on 14-of-32 shooting.
While it seemed fitting for Durant to open the fourth quarter with the team’s first 10 points, it also seemed fitting that Curry couldn’t finish at the rim on the final play.
After the Warriors continuously stuffed him at the rim in the first two games, Houston center Clint Capela bounced back with 13 points, 11 rebounds and one memorable stuff on Andre Iguodala in the second quarter.
Though the Warriors boast their strength in numbers, their secondquarter lineup opened the frame missing all but one of their next 14 shots.
Durant nearly helped the Warriors overcome all of those issues. Durant set up Andre Iguodala for a 3 to give the Warriors a 112-110 lead with 45.9 seconds left. The Warriors held Houston without a field goal in the final 5:10. Then Thompson forced a jump ball on Paul with the game tied at 112 with 1.5 seconds left.
In overtime, Durant made a layup and three foul shots.
Even with Iguodala (16 points) and Draymond Green (19 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists) complementing Durant, that was not enough. Not with the Warriors’ starting backcourt struggling with their shot. Not with Harden maintaining his prolific play. Not with Kevon Looney committing three early turnovers. Not with the Warriors failing to match the same energy they showed in Games 1 and 2.
The Warriors will seek to rectify all of this in Game 4 on Monday still with a command of the series. But now, the Warriors have given the Rockets some renewed confidence in making this a competitive series.
• The Warriors may have enjoyed a three-day rest period between their playoff games. But they have just exhausted some of their energy.
The reason: the Portland Trail Blazers’ quadruple overtime win over the Denver Nuggets became just too entertaining to watch.
“I did,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “I wanted to go to sleep.”
At least one important Warriors veteran kept his priorities straight.
“I was in bed early getting my sleep,” Iguodala said. “That’s important for our game right.”
It sure is. The Warriors play the Houston Rockets on Saturday in Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals. The Warriors have a 2-0 series lead, but remain wear of the Rockets ever since challenging them to seven games in last year’s Western Conference Finals.
Hence, the Warriors have spent Wednesday, Thursday and Friday prioritizing rest after Durant (44 minutes), Thompson (41), Green (39), Curry (33) and Iguodala (32) logged significant minutes.
That hardly compares to what the Nuggets and Trail Blazers experienced, though. Denver center Nikola Jokic (65), Portland guard C.J. McCollum (60) and Portland guard Damian Lillard (58) logged a substantially heavier workload than what the
Warriors had in Game 2 against Houston.
“In my younger days, it probably wouldn’t be a problem,” the 35-yearold Iguodala said. “That shows that guys keep their mind and body right. It’s mentally fatiguing as it is physically.”
Some on the Warriors could relate.
When Durant played in Oklahoma City, the Thunder won in a triple-overtime game over Memphis in the 2011 Western Conference semifinals.
In the 2013 Western Conference semifinals, Curry, Thompson and Green were part of a team that lost to the Spurs in double overtime. Kerr could not relate, though.
“That was usually my totals for the postseason in 20 games or so,” Kerr said about his 16-year NBA career as a dependable role player. “Incredible with both teams and their resilience. Incredible basketball game. Those guys are young. They’ll get over it quickly.”