The Warriors took a 2-0 series lead after defeating the Rockets 115-106 in Game 2 on Monday night.
The Warriors took a 2-0 series lead after defeating the Rockets 115-106 in Game 2 on Monday night. Stephen Curry missed the game due to injury, but Klay Thompson picked up the scoring slack, leading Golden State with 34 points. Draymond Green filled the stat sheet with 12 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists, while Andre Iguodala added 18 points off the bench.
GAME LEADERS
It was going to take a team effort for the Warriors to come away with a win without the reigning MVP in tow, and that’s exactly what they got. Golden State had eight different players score in the first quarter, using a balance attack to put Houston in an early hole. The Rockets actually jumped out to a 6-3 lead within the opening 90 seconds, but a 10-0 Warriors’ run capped off by Klay Thompson’s layup put Golden State out in front 13-6 with 6:49 remaining in the opening frame. Less than a minute later, however, Thompson picked up his second personal foul, meaning someone else was going to have to carry the scoring burden for Golden State. That someone else proved to be Andre Iguodala, who sank back-to-back three-pointers after Houston had cut the deficit to four, and then another at the 1:04 mark to put the Warriors up 31-22. The Rockets had their own surprise assassin from long range in Josh Smith, who matched Iguodala by also going a perfect 3-for-3 from beyond the arc in the opening quarter, including one with 25.6 seconds left to pull Houston within 31-27. After Festus Ezeli converted two free throws on the ensuing possession, Trevor Ariza closed out the scoring in the quarter with a three-pointer with 2.1 seconds left to send the game into the second frame with Golden State holding a slim 33-30 advantage.
The Rockets would pull even at 35-35 less than a minute into the second quarter, but Iguodala would hit yet another three-pointer in response to put the Warriors back in front. That proved to be the theme of the night, as although Golden State was unable to run away with the game until the final minutes, Houston was equally unable of putting together any kind of extended run. The Rockets never scored more than two consecutive field goals in the entire game, including a sequence in which Michael Beasley followed Patrick Beverley’s three-pointer with a layup to pull Houston within 46-44 with 8:02 remaining in the first half. Dwight Howard’s hook shot at the 5:36 mark pulled the Rockets within two points once again at 51-49, but Golden State responded by ripping off seven straight points to rebuild their cushion. That lead would grow as large as 11 points until James Harden converted five-straight free throws to cut the deficit to single digits, right before Shaun Livingston’s layup with 2.0 seconds left sent the game into halftime with the Warriors leading 66-58.
Golden State would score the first two baskets of the second half, but would then go the next 4:30 without a field goal, allowing Houston to remain in the game. The Rockets used a 9-1 burst to pull within 71-67 with 6:54 remaining in the third frame, and that would be the exact same margin after Harden sank a three-pointer to cut the deficit to 83-79 with 48.5 seconds left. But, it would be Golden State heading into the fourth quarter with all the momentum, as Marreese Speights made his first career postseason three-pointer to put the Warriors up 86-79 and close out the scoring in the third frame.
After Leandro Barbosa opened the fourth quarter scoring with a layup, Houston bounced back with six-straight points to pull within 88-85. But, once again, the Warriors would halt the Rockets momentum with a burst of their own, using an 11-1 run to take their largest lead of the game up to that point at 99-86 with 6:49 remaining. The Rockets would respond with back-to-back baskets to cut the deficit to single digits, but that would prove to be the end of their hopes for victory, as the Dubs would score the next six points to take a 15-point lead with 4:13 remaining. Golden State’s advantage would remain in double digits until K.J. McDaniels sank a three-pointer from the corner to pull within 111-103 with 23.9 seconds remaining, but at that point it was too little, too late. Klay Thompson and Harrison Barnes each converted a pair of free throws, as the Warriors finished off the 115-106 victory. With the win, Golden State takes a 2-0 lead in the series, which will now transition to Houston for Game 3 on Thursday night.