Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

There is nothing like playoff basketball. The Warriors and Rockets played a thriller Saturday night at the Toyota Center.

It was a game the Rockets needed. If they lost, they would have trailed 3-0 and no team in NBA history has come back trailing 3-0. The Warriors came back from a 13-point deficit in the third quarter, and the game ended tied 112-112 after 48 minutes of play. The Rockets outscored the Warriors 14-9 in the five-minute overtime period to come away with a 126-121 win. The Warriors still lead the series 2-1.

The game saw the Rockets grab the lead in the second period. The Warriors scored just one point in a little over four minutes to start the second period. The Rockets, who trailed by nine in the first period, ended the second period with a nine-point lead. Houston’s Eric Gordon killed the Warriors as he was making 3-point shots that put the Rockets in the lead. The Rockets made six 3-pointers in the first half, and the Warriors made just three 3s. The Rockets led 58-49 at the halfway point.

The Rockets increased the lead to 83-70 late in the third quarter. The Warriors Kevin Durant took control of the game with the help from Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala, and Klay Thompson. The Warriors went on a 24-10 run to take a 94-93 lead after Durant knocked down a three. The two teams swapped the lead several times in the final stanza. Thompson kicked in with 10 points to keep the Warriors in the game. The Warriors led by two 112-110, but the Rockets scored the last two points of the quarter to force overtime. The Rockets had a chance to win, but Thompson forced a jump ball when he stopped Chris Paul’s drive to the basket with just 1.5 seconds left.

The Rockets scored the first basket in overtime, and the Warriors were never able to take the lead. With Houston leading 114-113, Eric Gordon hit a three. Andre Iguodala knocked down a three to make it 117-116. Houston increased the lead to 121-118. The Warriors failed to score, and Houston’s James Harden buried a three to put the Rockets up by six. Durant was fouled attempting a three, and made all three free throws to bring the Warriors close 124-121. Harden made the final bucket of the night.

Game Notes and Stats: The Warriors’ starting five scored 114 points, and their bench contributed only seven points in the loss. Kevin Durant led the team with 46 points. Draymond Green had another outstanding game as he finished with a triple-double of 19 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists. Andre Iguodala finished with 16 points and knocked down three threes. Steph Curry had 17 and Klay Thompson had 16.

James Harden led the Rockets with 41. He hit five threes. Eric Gordon was second on the Rockets with 30. He made seven threes. Chris Paul had 13. Clint Capela had a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds. P.J.Tucker was outstanding on defense and scored seven points late in the game to help Houston win.

The Warriors shot 44.2% from the floor. They were 14 for 33 from three-point range. The Rockets shot 48.4% from the floor and made 18 threes in 43 tries. The Rockets outrebounded the Warriors 55-35. They had 17 offensive rebounds, and the Warriors made seven. The Warriors protected the ball well as they committed only eight turnovers. The Rockets turned the ball over 13 times.

Game 4 will be in Houston Monday night. Play will start at 6:30 pm.