AP photo: The Golden State Warriors Klay Thompson missed 13 of 20 but hit five three pointers and finished the game with 27 points on Tuesday night
For the longest time, it seemed like the Golden State Warriors’ chances of taking a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference Semifinals over the Blazers was in jeopardy.
But then, the fourth quarter happened, and the Warriors came roaring back for a 110-99 win on Tuesday night at Oracle Arena.
The Warriors outscored the Blazers 34-12 in the fourth, turning an 11-point deficit into an 11-point victory. Klay Thompson’s 3-pointer midway through the fourth tied the game 91-91, and then another three gave the Warriors their first lead of the night at 94-93. From there, the Warriors pulled away with suffocating defense and a rhythm on offense that they didn’t have for much of the first half.
Thompson led the way with 27 points, though he struggled from 3-point range, shooting just 5-of-14. Draymond Green added 17 points and 14 rebounds. Festus Ezeli played key minutes in the fourth, scoring eight quick points and providing great energy to help spur the turnaround.
Early on, the Warriors found themselves in some trouble, as the Blazers jumped out to a 13-point lead after one and a 59-51 advantage at halftime.
The Warriors made several runs to cut into the deficit, but the Blazers, led by 25 points from Damian Lillard and 22 points from CJ McCollum, responded to every push by Golden State.
That is, until the final one. The Warriors cruised in the fourth for a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series, which shifts to Portland on Saturday.
Listen to David’s Warriors podcast below as he talks about the Warriors who held a good healthy lead on the Portland Trailblazers in game one up until the end. The Warriors were up by some 20 points by the end of the first quarter. A lot of that was because the Warriors Klay Thompson dropped 14 at the end of that first quarter. Thompson was getting three pointers everywhere on the floor.
There were shots that Thompson was taking that were Steph Curry range that were ridiculous. He got some shots that were off balance and he had some really nice drives that were scored from everywhere on the floor. The Blazers had no answer for him. Draymond Green was doing equally great with 23 points.
AP photo: Golden State’s Klay Thompson reacts after splashing down a three pointer towards the end of the first quarter on Sunday’s game
No Steph Curry? For now, it looks to be no problem for the Golden State Warriors, who rolled to a dominant 118-106 win Sunday over the Portland Trail Blazers to open the Western Conference semifinals.
Klay Thompson filled Curry’s scoring void for Golden State, dropping 37 points while shooting 7 of 14 from behind the arc, leading the team in both marks. Draymond Green also shouldered a large amount of the load with an outstanding all-around performance, picking up a triple double, scoring 23 points while pulling down 13 boards and dishing out 11 assists.
Ever since Curry departed with a knee injury on the last play of the second half in Game Four of the first round, Golden State hasn’t missed a beat, outscoring their opponents by a 297-225 margin.
Golden State jumped out to a hot start at home, taking a commanding 37-17 lead at the end of the first quarter, silencing doubters with a thunderous roar at Oracle Arena. After that, the Warriors coasted on for the rest of the game. In typical Golden State fashion, they never lost control of the game — the outcome wasn’t in doubt at any time.
Portland blew out the Warriors 137-105 in February at the Rose Garden to hand them just the fifth loss of their season, but the last three contests haven’t gone so well for the Blazers, dropping them by margins of 16, 25, and 16, respectively (all at Oracle Arena).
The two West Coast teams will duke it out again on Tuesday night at Oracle, before heading to Portland for Games Three and Four.
nbcsports.com photo: Former Houston Rockets general manager Kevin McHale
The Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor you might remember last season the Houston Rockets were paying the Warriors last season for the Western Conference title and the Rockets gave the Warriors a real battle. Last year the Rockets won over 50 games this year the Rockets finished at 41-41. Their head coach last year Kevin McHale was fired and was replaced. The story of their season.
The real story is dysfunction this season, the Rockets were awful and the Warriors were really able to take advantage of them. The Rockets coming into this last round were not going to be a challenge to the Warriors. Whether Stephen Curry was in the line up or not there was no way the Rockets were going to win this first round.
Well, Steph Curry did not play and yet the Warriors showed why they made history for the best record in NBA history. Normally, a team without their star player has a lot to worry about. The Warriors showed no problems minus the reigning MVP and proved why they are the team to beat besides the fact their last year’s champs. Golden State annihilated the Houston Rockets in a 114-81 victory at Oracle Arena.
Let’s be honest, there’s not much to say about this game. The game went exactly as most would have figured given that the Warriors routed Houston in game four and not to mention they’re the Golden State Warriors.
The Warriors played great, the Rockets played atrociously, which is a recipe for disaster. The Warriors played with great togetherness and to nobody’s surprise, they shot out of this world. Golden State made it look easy as they finished with a 54.9 shooting percentage while Houston could not find a way to score with a 32.6 shooting percentage. Golden State played solid defense as they forced 18 turnovers for 25 points.
James Harden was the only Rockets’ player to show any offensive life finishing with 35 points. Besides Harden, Michael Beasley was the only other Houston player to finish the game in double figures.
Klay Thompson did his best to fill Curry’s shoes and finished with 27 points. Thompson knocked down seven buckets from behind the arc on 11 shots and finished 10 of 14 from the field overall. Draymond Green was tremendous overall as usual and totaled 15 points, grabbed nine boards and dropped eight dimes.
Shaun Livingston had a good game on offense as well and scored 16 points on seven of eight shooting. The Warriors looked just as good as they always are and bounced the Rockets out of the playoffs.
Throughout the game, Curry showed incredible excitement from the bench and supported his teammates like no other. And this is why the Warriors are so dangerous, they have some of the greatest team chemistry I have witnessed in my lifetime.
The Warriors won the series and only allowed the Rockets to win one game, which came down to the wire.
Golden State will either face the Los Angeles Clippers who are without Chris Paul and Blake Griffin or the Portland Trailblazers. Portland won game five in their series to go up 3-2 and it appears like they will be Golden State’s semifinal opponent.
Whoever the Warriors play, fans are hopeful that Curry can make his way back into the playoffs. But, with the way Golden State played tonight, let Curry take as much time as he needs to get ready for the Western Conference Finals. I am knocking on wood though, so the whole Bay Area doesn’t freak out on me and say I jinxed them.
By Daniel Dullum
Sports Radio Service
Sunday, April 24, 2016
AP photo: The Warriors Stephen Curry is assisted off the court after the first half with a right ankle sprain
Golden State’s Stephen Curry left Sunday’s NBA playoff game with yet another injury – this time it’s his right knee.
Depsite Curry having to leave the game late in the first half, the Warriors carried on and drubbed the Houston Rockets 121-94 in Houston, taking a 3-games-to-1 lead in the opening round best-of-seven.
The Associated Press reported that Curry, who missed two games with a sprained right ankle, sprained his right knee and did not play in the second half. Curry’s status for game five in Oakland is questionable. The Warriors will know more after Curry undergoes an MRI on Monday.
Even with one half of the Splash Brothers out of action, the Warriors kept the 3-pointers coming. Klay Thompson sank seven 3s – four of them in the third quarter – as Golden State sank a franchise playoff-record eight in the quarter and an NBA playoff record 21 for the afternoon.
The Warriors bagged 41 points in the third quarter to run away with the game. Thompson scored a game-high 23 points for the Warriors. Andre Iguodala added 22 points, his season high, and Draymond Green scored 18.
Dwight Howard led Houston with 19 points and 15 rebounds. James Harden was quiet by his standards, finishing with 18 points, 10 assists and seven steals.
Before leaving the game, Curry made a 3-pointer for the 42nd consecutive playoff game, two behind record-holder Reggie Miller. Curry, who struggled with his shooting before the knee injury, finished the game with six points.
By Daniel Dullum
Sports Radio Service
Thursday, April 21, 2016
AP photo David J Phillips: The Houston Rockets James Harden takes the winning shot in game three at the Toyota Center in the first round of the playoffs vs. Golden State
James Harden came within two rebounds and one assist of getting a triple-double for the Houston Rockets on Thursday. He settled for a game-winning shot against Golden State instead.
Down by one point with 2.7 seconds to play, Harden hit a 10-foot jumper giving him 35 points on the night and a 97-96 victory over the Warriors in game three of their opening round NBA playoff best-of-seven series at Toyota Center in Houston.
The Warriors, playing without their injured MVP Stephen Curry, still lead the series 2-games-to-1. Game four is scheduled for Sunday in Houston.
Curry, out with an ankle injury suffered in game one, didn’t play because the Warriors didn’t want to risk re-injuring the ankle before it was fully healed. Coach Steve Kerr told the media Curry’s availability for Sunday’s game would be evaluated after two days of practice.
After Harden’s jumper put Houston ahead, the Warriors had one more possession, but Draymond Green lost the inbound pass off his foot and out of bounds as time ran out.
Marreese Speights scored 22 points off the bench to lead the Warriors, with Klay Thompson adding 17. Dwight Howard added 13 points,13 rebounds and two blocked shots for the Rockets, and Michael Beasley scored 12 points for the Rockets.
sfgate.com photo: Stephen Curry practicing Wednesday to see if his ankle was going to be ready or not for game three in Dallas
On the Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor the Warriors Stephen Curry said he was feeling better and then the questioned was asked whether or not Curry can play in Thursday night’s game three in Houston. The answer let’s not be so much of a hurry to put Curry back in the line up yet. After practice on Wednesday Curry said he still has some pain in the ankle. There was some big news on Tuesday that the MRIs Curry had didn’t reveal any problem.
There’s no stress fracture as some people speculated there’s no major issues its just that he’s got pain in his ankle. Either way Curry is still questionable for Thursday night in Houston. The Warriors are being super cautious with this. Curry could play but the way everybody is talking about it it’s going to be a game time decision.
sfgate.com photo: Golden State’s Klay Thompson goes for the high percentage points as Thompson help lead the team without injured Stephen Curry in game two on Monday night
Without the services of their injured MVP-Steph Curry-the Golden State Warriors banded together with a solid team effort that featured a cast of supporters stepping into the spotlight in order to take a commanding 2-0 series lead at Oracle on Monday.
The other half of the Splash Brothers tandem-Klay Thompson picked up the slack for his injured teammate, pouring in a game-leading 34 points in the second game of this playoff series, to secure a 115-109 win for the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena.
Showcasing the type of depth that has made Golden State a nightmare for teams all year long, a slew of other Warriors stepped up in Curry’s absence to offer the Rockets no reprieve from their ruthless manner of scoring. Andre Iguodala was just one of many who had done so, coming off the bench to score 18 points while shooting a lights-out 7-of-10 from the field. Shaun Livingston- who replaced the injured Curry with his 11th career playoff start- did his part by contributing 16 points on an even better 7-of-9 from range.
The Rockets main source of offense came from James Harden, whose knack for getting to the free-throw line helped to contribute to his 28 total points on the night. Harden finished with 15 attempts, knocking in 13 free points. Dwight Howard attempted just seven shots on the night, connecting with five, in an effort that looked-at times- lifeless.
It wasn’t easy for Golden State, however. With just under ten minutes to go, the Rockets’ Jason Terry made it a one possession game on a pair of free-throws. But the Warriors responded with an 11-1 run that would ultimately put the dagger in the heart of any comeback attempts from Houston.
The Rockets looked more lively than they did in their stale game one, but were met with an answer almost every time they made a push against Golden State. The team would bend in the fourth, but would show the resilience that helped to make them NBA Champions last year by not breaking.
It was a resilient effort and a display of depth for Golden State, who finished with four starters in double-digits, and 37 points from the bench. The win also gives Curry extra time to heal his ailing ankle, as the Warriors don’t take to the court until Thursday in Houston. With a commanding 2-0 lead, head coach Steve Kerr could decide to give Curry an even longer break and rest his star again.
The juggernaut that is the Golden State Warriors steamrollered the Houston Rockets 104-78 in game one of the NBA Western Conference Playoffs. The Warriors led the game wire-to-wire en route to the win.
The dominate win has been overshadowed by an injury to superstar Stephen Curry. Curry tweaked his right ankle late in the second quarter and had to be taken into the locker room have the ankle re-taped. Curry would return to start the third quarter but played only 2:47 in the period before having to return to the bench.
In his postgame media conference, Golden State head coach Steve Kerr told reporters that Curry would not have been available to return to the game if Houston would have made a comeback. Kerr went on to say that Curry is questionable for game two on Monday night. In NBA terms, questionable means there is only a 50 percent chance that Curry will play.
Curry was the Warriors leading scorer with 24 points in his limited playing time of 19-plus minutes. Not only would the Warriors miss Curry’s scoring punch but the sight of Curry on the bench could serve as real source of motivation for Houston who do not want to go home down 0-2 in the series.
The Warriors defense was as impressive as their offense. Golden State held the Rockets shooting to just 35.7 percent (30-for-84) from the field. Houston who lives by the creed of “score in the paint or shoot the three” shot just 27.3 percent (6-for-22) from long range.
The Golden State defense kept James Harden off the free throw for the entire game. Harden makes his living driving to the basket and forcing reach-in fouls for opportunities to score from the free throw line.
Kerr told reporters after the game that not reaching in on Harden was major point of emphasis for the Warriors defensive scheme. The plan worked to perfection.
The Golden State defense also caused the Rockets to be sloppy in guarding the basketball. Houston turned the ball over 24 times in the game. The Rockets had more turnovers than assists (16). A negative assists-to-turnover ratio makes it literally impossible to win a game in the NBA.
The Warriors held the Rockets to just eight second-chance points. For comparison, Golden State scored 25 points when give a second chance to score.
There will be much talk about the Warriors outscoring the Rockets by 26 points. The real discussion should be about the Warriors holding the Houston offense to just 78 points.
Warriors
Stephen Curry was the team’s leading scorer with 24 points. Curry went 5-for-7 from 3-point land. He also grabbed seven rebounds, had three steals and dished out two assists in his limited playing time.
As you might have guessed, Klay Thompson helped to fill the gap left by Curry having to leave the game. Thompson scored 16 points but had to take 14 shots to score those points. He was perfect from the free throw line going 6-for-6. Thompson finished with five rebounds, four assists and one steal.
Draymond Green had a double-double game scoring 12 points and recording 10 rebounds. Green led his team in playing time with 33:17 played.
Marreese Speights was the Warriors leading scorer off the bench with 12 points. He shot 5-for-11 from the field.
Andre Iguodala was real force on offense for Golden State coming off the bench to dish out a game-high seven assists.
Rockets
James Harden was the leading scorer for the Rockets with 17 points but he had to take 19 shots to score those points. He was just 3-for-5 from behind the 3-point line. Harden turned the ball over six times.
Dwight Howard was surprisingly a big factor in this game for the Rockets. Howard has experienced a less than stellar season for Houston. He put up a double-double in this game scoring 14 points and grabbing 11 rebounds for his team.
Patrick Beverley was also a surprising non-factor for Houston on Saturday. After a first quarter skirmish with Curry that resulted in off-setting technical fouls, Beverley picked up three personal fouls and was sent to the bench. He played just 5:10 in the second half after picking up his fourth foul. Beverley finished just two points.
What they said after the game
Steve Kerr evaluating how his team played
“…Very satisfied. I thought our defense was excellent. We didn’t reach. We made them earn every point and we did have the brief spell when Steph (Curry) went out where we sort of lost our focus, lost our poise but we quickly recovered, a lot of guys played but it was a good, solid victory.”
Klay Thompson on the intensity of the game
“It did (get chippy). You expect that in the playoffs.No team is going to lay down against us. I’m just happy we didn’t let it phase us. We’ve got a strong group.”
Houston head coach J.B. Bickerstaff on his team’s first half performance
“One of their strengths defensively is their versatility. They do a lot of switching. They have guys who can defend multiple positions. We didn’t do a good enough job making them pay. When they switch, we have to move more. Instead, we moved less which made us easier to guard. They just sat … they has 10 eyes on the ball-handler. We didn’t put enough pressure behind them, move them around enough so our penetraters could penetrate and make plays for other people. This can’t be a one-sided game offensively. The ball has to move. There has to be a thrust to your offense.There has to be early action, early attacks. They’re too good defensively if you don’t.”
Up next
Game two will be played on Monday at 7:30 PM (PDT) in Oakland. The game will be televised on TNT.
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