Tag: Kevin Durant

Rockets take Game 5 with 98-94 win, go up 3-2 on Warriors in West Finals

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By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
SRS Contributor

HOUSTON — The Rockets took advantage of 18 turnovers by the Warriors, the final pivotal one coming off Draymond Green’s leg with under 10 seconds remaining and Eric Gordon knocked down two free throws to perserve a 98-94 victory in Game 5 of the West Finals at the Toyota Center Thursday night to take a 3-2 lead in the best-of-7 series.

“We were suppose to score and I lost the ball, ” Green said to reporters postgame.

More importantly, it puts the defending NBA Champions on the brink of elimination as the series shifts to Oakland for a “win-or-go-home” Game 6 Saturday night at Oracle Arena. Tip off is at 5:00 p.m. PT.

After defeating the Rockets by 41 points in Game 3, the Warriors have lost back-to-back games for the first time this postseason. The postseason is not the best time of year to start going on a losing streak. The Rockets snapped Golden State’s NBA postseason-record 16-game home winning streak in Game 4.

Eric Gordon led the Rockets with 24 points off the bench on 6-of-15 shooting. In fact, the Rockets bench outscored the Warriors’ reserves 33-4 in Game 5. Gordon connected on 9-of-10 from the free throw line.

Chris Paul finished with 20 points, seven rebounds and six assists, but was just 6-of-19 shooting from the floor, including starting 0-of-7 in the first-half. Paul left the game in the final minutes after injuring his right hamstring after coming down on the foot of Warriors’ reserve guard Quinn Cook.

After the game, it was reported that Paul will be re-evaluated Friday and his status for Game 6 is unclear.

James Harden also struggled, shooting just 5-of-21 from the field (0-for-11 on 3s) and finishing with 19 points. Like Gordon, Harden did most of his damage from the free throw line, converting 9-of-9 free throws.

“We had to rely on our defense once again,” Harden said. “Game 4, we weren’t making shots but defensively we were really good. Same thing tonight.”

Center Clint Capela finished with 12 points and 14 rebounds for his seventh double-double of the postseason. Capela had three of Houston’s eight offensive rebounds.

As a team, Golden State had just three offensive rebounds.

Four Warriors finished in double-figures, led by Kevin Durant’s team-high 29 points. Klay Thompson added 23, Stephen Curry scored 22 and Green finished with 12 points and 15 rebounds.

Golden State played solid defense, limiting Houston to 37.2-percent shooting from the floor, but the aforementioned 18 turnovers led to 18 points by the Rockets. That can’t happen if you’re a championship team that prides itself on solid execution like Golden State has done during this four-year run under head coach Steve Kerr.

“I feel great about where we are right now,” Kerr said postgame. “I know that sounds crazy but I feel it. I know exactly what I’m seeing out there…we defended them well tonight. Just too many turnovers, too many reaches.

“If we settle down a little bit, we’ll be in really good shape.”

Durant shot 8-of-22 from the floor, including 3-of-6 from behind the three-point arc, and was 10-of-10 from the free throw line. For the series, Durant is perfect at the charity stripe, shooting 37-of-37 from the free throw line.

For the second straight game, the Warriors were without Andre Iguodala who has been dealing with a left knee contusion. Iguodala suffered the injury after bumping knees with Harden in Game 3. Many believe that since Iguodala has been out, it has thrown off the Warriors’ game since Iguodala is who Kerr affectionately calls, the “adult in the room” for his ability to keep the team calm during critical stages of the game.

“He’s dying to play, but he’s not healthy enough,” Kerr said. “We’ll just continue to take it day to day.”

The game itself was a tight one, with no lead greater than six points. At halftime. the game was tied, 45-45 and the two teams stayed within three points of each other throughout the third quarter.

Golden State suffered just their second Game 5 lost in a playoff series since 2015.

If the Warriors were to lose Game 6 on Saturday night, they would miss out the NBA Finals for the first time since 2014.

The Warriors’ backs are firmly pressed against the wall but the defending NBA wouldn’t have it any other way.

That’s Amaury’s Podcast, News, and Commentary: LeBron, Cavs have big night knotting up series; Curry feeling 100% with his shot back, A’s open series with Seattle after sweeping 4 in Toronto

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Photo credit: @SLAMonline

On That’s Amaury’s podcast:

#1 Big night for the Cleveland Cavaliers LeBron James as the Cavaliers came back to tie the series up with a Game 4 win over the Boston Celtics 111-102 at 2-2. LeBron has averaged 32 assists, 6.8 rebounds, and 9.0 assists.

#2 The Warriors and Rockets tip off for game 4 tonight at Oracle Arena with the Warriors leading 2-1. The Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni says the pressure is on the Warriors while the Warriors head coach Steve Kerr says that’s good, but the pressure is also on the Rockets.

#3 The Oakland A’s, who just got a four-game sweep over the Toronto Blue Jays, have been on a roll. Amaury talks about what he attribute to the A’s recent success.

#4 The Seattle Mariners are in Oakland tonight for a three-game series at the Oakland Coliseum. Much of the attention last week had been on Robinson Cano, who said he was taking a substance from his doctor in the Dominican Republic that he didn’t know was banned, and the MLB suspended him for 80 games

#5 Tonight, the Oakland A’s will start Trevor Cahill and the Seattle M’s will start Mike Leake to kick off this three-game series at 7:05 pm for the first pitch. Wednesday’s game also will be a 7:05 pm first pitch followed by a day game on Thursday at 12:30 pm.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez does News and Commentary each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

 

Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor: Warriors look to take a 3-1 series lead after tonight; Rockets’ D’Antoni for tonight: “The pressure is on the Warriors”

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On the Golden State Warriors podcast with Dave:

The Golden State Warriors who return back to Oracle Arena after their electric victory in Game 3 will host Game 4 tonight. The Warriors are up 2-1 in the Western Conference Finals can take a 3-1 series lead and be in a good position to clinch in Houston on Thursday in Game 5. Houston Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni says that the pressure is on Golden State while Warriors head coach Steve Kerr says while D’Antoni is right the pressure also on the Rockets tonight.

The Warriors’ Kevin Durant has dominated in the playoffs and Stephen Curry has found his shot in the third game leading the Warriors to a one-game lead. The Rockets are aiming to key in on Durant and Curry, but the way the two have been lights out, it just might be too much to handle for Houston and the Warriors very likely could force a Game 5 tonight.

Dave Zizmor does the Warriors podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Headline Sports podcast with Tony Renteria: Green-Harden battle could just be the beginning of a physical series; Cano says he didn’t know he was taking steroids; Does Gruden know what he’s doing?

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On the Headlines Sports podcast with Tony Renteria:

#1 Tony will be looking back a bit on that first game with the Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors when the Rockets’ James Harden and the Warriors’ Draymond Green got into a scrap in the first few minutes.

#2 The Seattle Mariners’ Robinson Can came clean admitting he took a substance Furosemide, a diuretic he told reporters that he was given the substance by a doctor in the Dominican Republic, but didn’t realize it was a banned substance. Cano was suspended by MLB for 80 games and is one of the highest-paid players in the MLB.

#3 Oakland Raiders head coach Jon Gruden has been getting some criticism about the way he’s handled personnel so far. He’s let go of Michael Crabtree, punter Marquete King and now Kahlil Mack’s contract, whose contract is coming up could be leaving. The Raiders are looking for some cap room.

#4 In spite of the A’s having the usual arm problems their starters have been coming through with Sean Manaea helping Oakland get a one run 6-5 win and Tuesday night with pitcher Daniel Mengden improving his record to 3-4, going six innings, eight hits, two runs, and three strikeouts and two wins in the series against Boston.

#5 The Giants, after losing five straight all on the road, have now won three straight and are preparing for the Colorado Rockies starting on Thursday night. The Rockies, who are in second place in the NL West, will be a test for San Francisco at AT&T Park after success against a last-place Reds team.

Tony does Headline Sports each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Rockets soar past Warriors 127-105, evens West Finals 1-1

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Photo credit: nba.com/warriors

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
SRS Contributor

The talk of a potential Warriors’ sweep can be put to rest.

After dropping Game 1 Monday night, the Rockets rebounded with a 127-105 victory over the Warriors in Game 2 at the Toyota Center Wednesday night.

James Harden finished with 27 points and 10 rebounds to help Houston regain home-court in the best-of-7 Western Conference Finals series.

“Guys were more active,” said Harden, who shot 9-of-24 from the floor and just 3-of-15 from 3, postgame to TNT. “We played harder and it showed tonight.”

Eric Gordon, who scored just 15 points in Game 1, exploded with 27 points in Game 2, matching Harden’s output. Gordon shot 8-of-15 from the field, including 6-of-9 on 3s.

The play of P.J. Tucker was big for Houston, scoring a playoff career-high 22 points on 8-of-9 shooting. Tucker was red-hot from 3, knocking down 5-of-6 from behind the arc, bouncing back from a poor Game 1 performance of one point on 0-of-3 from the field.

Trevor Ariza finished with 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting and six assists, and Clint Capela finished with five points and 10 rebounds.

Chris Paul scored 16 points and had six assists, after recording just three in Game 1. Paul shot just 6-of-14 from the floor, appeared to be bothered by a lower leg injury in the second half as he ran with a noticeable limp. Paul did sit out most of the fourth quarter when the game was in hand for Houston.

The Rockets dominated Golden State in the second quarter, outscoring the Warriors 38-29.

“We can beat anybody, anywhere at any time playing the way we play,” Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni said.

Sloppy play, lackluster defense and the lack of another scoring option other than Kevin Durant were the main culprits in the loss for Golden State.

As a team, Houston was scorching from three-point land, knocking down 16-of-42 (38.1-percent). Golden State’s perimeter defense against the Rockets was nonexistent in Game 2 from the beginning, allowing the Rockets to drill 10-of-23 3s in the first half. Houston shot 51.4-percent for the game (45-of-88) and out-rebounded Golden State 47-36.

Houston led as much as 19 in the first half and was up 64-50 at halftime. The Warriors did climb back into the game, closing the gap 74-64 behind five points by Durant before Houston increased their lead to 89-72 behind an off-balanced layup by Gordon crashing to the floor, drawing a foul and making a free throw.

Durant finished with a game-high 38 points on 13-of-22 shooting from the floor, but was a one-man band Wednesday night at the Toyota Center for Golden State.

“We’re not the juggernauts of the NBA,” Durant said. “We’re a good team, but that’s a great team on the other end.”

Stephen Curry had another quiet game, scoring 16 points on 7-of-19 shooting from the field, but couldn’t get anything going from three-point range, connecting on 1-of-8 on his 3s. By hitting just one 3, Curry extended his NBA playoff record to 81 games.

In the first two games of the series, Curry is shooting just 2-of-13 on 3s.

Klay Thompson, who had his way with Houston in Game 1 scoring 28 points, was held in check finishing with just eight points on 3-of-11 shooting (2-of-4 on 3s).

Draymond Green finished with just six points, six rebounds and six assists.

“I think a lot of these games when you get in the playoffs with teams that are very talented and really great team, it often comes down to which one has the edge in terms of the aggression and the desperation,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr told reporters after the game. “They were desperate tonight, and they played like it. And we didn’t. And the results showed. We got what we deserved. They kicked our butts.”

The Warriors committed 15 turnovers, off of which Houston scored 15 points. Houston 13 points off 11 first-half turnover by Golden State, which in essence, had the Warriors climbing uphill for the entirety of the game.

Golden State shot 45.9-percent for the game (39-of-85) and were ice-cold on 3s, shooting 9-of-30 (30-percent).

But if you’re the Warriors, you’ve accomplished your mission of splitting the first two games in Houston. With the scene shifting to Oakland for Games 3 and 4, Golden State should feel good about where the series stands right now.

Game 3 is Sunday at Oracle Arena with tipoff scheduled for 5 p.m. Pacific.

Following Game 3, the two teams will play Game 4 on Tuesday, before returning to Houston for Game 5 on Thursday.

That’s Amaury’s Podcast, News and Commentary with Jeremiah Salmonson: Warriors really made Game 1 win look easy; Harden carried Rockets on shoulders, but couldn’t win

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On That’s Amaury’s podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson:

The Golden State Warriors started this third round of the playoffs with a road victory over the Houston Rockets 119-106 in Game 1 on Monday night. It looked like five guys (from Golden State) versus the Houston Rockets’ James Harden, who handled much of the scoring by himself.

Those five guys were referring to is the Warriors’ Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala, Stephen Curry, and Klay Thompson, who all combined for 99 points. Durant had his second-highest point total with 37 for this post season. The Rockets’ James Harden finished also with his second-highest postseason total with 41 points.

Houston head coach Mike D’Antoni called the Rockets performance a game of “mental lapses.” Game 2 is Wednesday night in Houston. The Rockets have the home floor after watching them in Game 1. Do the Rockets need to pick up the pace with a faster tempo?

Jeremiah Salmonson is filling in for Amaury Pi Gonzalez, who is taking this week off at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

 

Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor: Warriors’ Durant and Rockets’ Harden both have highest in scoring in postseason

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On the Warriors podcast with David Zizmor:

Talk about how the Warriors Kevin Durant dominated on offense Monday night in Game 1 in Houston with 37 points coming in with his second-highest total for the postseason. His opponent, the Rockets’ James Harden, finished with his second-highest total of 41 points. It looked like Harden against five Warriors players.

David Zizmor does the Warriors podcasts each Tuesday night at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Warriors close out Pelicans in five games 113-104; Rockets next

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@warriors photo: The Houston Rockets and the Golden State Warriors open their third round series starting next Monday at Golden State for game 1

By Daniel Dullum
Sports Radio Service
Tuesday, May 8, 2018

Golden State opened Game 5 of its NBA West playoff game at New Orleans with a third-quarter blitz that propelled the Warriors past the Pelicans 113-104, earning a 4-games-to-1 series triumph.

The Warriors now look forward to the much-anticipated Western Conference final against the Houston Rockets, who eliminated the Utah Jazz. It’s the fourth consecutive Western final for Golden State.

It was the Warriors’ 15th consecutive postseason win at home, tying the 1989-90 and 1990-91 Chicago Bulls for the longest such streak in NBA playoff history.

After a sluggish start, the Warriors opened the third quarter at Oracle Arena with a 25-4 run.

Stephen Curry shot 10-of -16 from the field, including 3-of-6 behind the arc, and he finished with a team-high 28 points, to go with eight assists, seven rebounds and a steal. It was Curry’s fourth game back in the lineup after missing five weeks with a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee.

Klay Thompson contributed 23 points, six rebounds three assists and a steal for Golden State, and Kevin Durant scored 11 of his 24 points in the second quarter. Durant also had seven assists, six rebounds and two steals.

Draymond Green kicked in 19 points, 14 boards, nine assists, three steals and blocked two shots.

Anthony Davis had a monster game in defeat for New Orleans, finishing with a game-high 34 points (13-of-26 field goals), a playoff career-high 19 rebounds and four blocked shots in 46 minutes. Jrue Holiday had 27 points, 11 assists and 10 boards, his first playoff triple-double.

The Warriors-Rockets series begins Monday in Houston.

Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor: The Warriors roll in five playoff games against Pelicans

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On the Warriors podcast with David tonight:

After dropping Game 5 in New Orleans to the Pelicans, the Golden State Warriors did some talking to themselves and got back on track quick with the help of Kevin Durant, who led Golden State with 38 points. Durant had been a little passive in Game 2, but came out with all cylinders firing in Game 3 in the Warriors’ 118-92 win at Oracle Arena. The Warriors’ Stephen Curry followed Durant with 23 points and Klay Thompson with 13.

David Zizmor does the Warriors podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

Pelicans bounce back with 19-point win over Warriors in Game 3 119-100

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Advocate staff photo by MATTHEW HINTON: New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (23) celebrates a dunk with New Orleans Pelicans forward Nikola Mirotic (3) against Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) as fans including Arcade Fire’s Win Butler, left, and Saints Cam Jordan cheer during the second half of game 3 of the conference semifinal NBA playoffs at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, La. Friday, May 4, 2018.

By Daniel Dullum
Sports Radio Service
Friday, May 7, 2018

New Orleans built a double-digit lead in the first half and cruised to a 119-100 victory over Golden State Friday in Game 3 of their best-of-seven NBA West series at New Orleans.

The Warriors still have a 2-games-to-1 lead in the series.

After JaVale McGee’s dunk gave the Warriors a one-point lead midway through the first quarter, Nikola Mirotic responded with a 3-pointer on the Pelicans’ next possession and New Orleans led the remainder of the contest. The Pelicans built a 15-point lead by the second quarter, though Golden State cut their deficit to six by halftime on Klay Thompson’s third 3-pointer of the quarter.

Thompson led the Warriors with 26 points, 20 of them in the second quarter. Kevin Durant was next with 22 and Steph Curry added 19. Draymond Green finished with 11 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists

Curry became the first Warriors player to score 2,000 career postseason points, now at 2,012. He also became the first Warrior to pass the 500 postseason assist mark and passed Reggie Miller for fourth all time in career postseason 3-pointers with 322. Miller had 320.

After Solomon Hill nailed three 3-pointers in the first quarter off the Pelicans bench, the tone was set. Ex-Warrior Ian Clark scored 18 points in 22 minutes. Rajon Rondo dished out 21 assists, a Golden State playoff opponent record.

Hill and Clark combined for six of the Pelicans’ 14 3-balls while the Golden State bench was held to 10 points over the first three quarters. Anthony Davis led the Pelicans with 33 points and 18 rebounds, and Jrue Holiday added 21 points and five assists.

The series continues in New Orleans at 12:30 p.m. PDT in New Orleans.