The Warriors fell just short on Thursday night, falling 97-96 to the Rockets in Game 3.
The Warriors fell just short on Thursday night, falling 97-96 to the Rockets in Game 3. Marreese Speights led Golden State with 22 points. Klay Thompson added 17 points and eight rebounds, while Ian Clark posted postseason career-highs with 11 points and five assists. With the defeat, the Warriors now lead the series two games to one.
GAME LEADERS
Harrison Barnes sank a fadeaway jumper on the Warriors’ opening possession of the game, but that would prove to be Golden State’s only lead for the next 46 minutes of the game. Partrick Beverley drained a three-pointer on the ensuing possession, putting the Rockets in front before they raced out to a 17-10 lead halfway through the opening quarter. Draymond Green would trim a point off that deficit with a free throw, but then James Harden began to leave his imprint on the contest. His layup in response began a stretch in which he accounted for 12 of Houston’s next 14 points, ultimately giving the Rockets a 31-17 advantage with 38.3 seconds remaining in the frame. James Michael McAdoo would add a single free throw through the remainder of the quarter, sending the game into the second frame with Golden State trailing 31-18.
Marreese Speights converted a three-pointer 15 seconds into the second quarter, which proved to be a sign of things to come. After the Rockets added four consecutive points, Speights scored the next five points for Golden State to pull within 35-26 with 8:19 left to play. The Warriors would trail by the same nine-point deficit two minutes later, but four of Houston’s next five baskets were three-pointers, the last of which gave the Rockets their largest lead of the entire game at 53-36 with 4:26 remaining in the half. Dwight Howard scored Houston’s next basket by way of a dunk, but picked up a technical foul with 1:23 left in the half, sparking a strong finish from Golden State. Klay Thompson converted the technical free throw to begin a 9-0 Warriors’ run to close the half, bringing Golden State within 55-48 going into halftime.
Andrew Bogut’s first points of the game off a tip-in at the 8:10 mark cut the deficit to 62-56, but Howard followed up six consecutive Harden points in response with an alley-oop dunk to rebuild Houston’s lead to 70-56 halfway through the third frame. Little by little, however, Golden State would trim away at the deficit. After Donatas Motiejunas put the Rockets up 78-68 with 1:40 remaining in the quarter, Speights single-handedly outscored Houston 4-0 through the remaining 100 seconds, pulling the Warriors within 78-72 heading into the fourth and final quarter.
Time and time again, Golden State would appear as if it were about to crest the hill, only to see momentous shot after shot miss the target. Shaun Livingston scored six-straight points for the Warriors to close within a single point at 81-80 with 8:59 remaining in the game, but Golden State missed each of their next six shots, allowing Houston to rebuild their lead to 88-80 with 5:48 left to play. The reigning champs would not go away quietly, however. Ian Clark drained a three-pointer to break the Warriors’ scoring drought, and after Andre Iguodala’s three-pointer pulled Golden State within a single point yet again, it was Clark’s jumper that gave the Warriors their first lead since Barnes’ opening basket of the game at 94-93 with 1:25 remaining. Golden State got a defensive stop on the ensuing possession, but Draymond Green committed an offensive foul, sending Michael Beasley to the line for two free throws. Beasley converted both attempts from the foul line to put Houston back in front, and after Klay Thompson missed both of his attempts on the Warriors’ next possession, the Rockets retained the ball, leading 95-94 with 13.8 seconds left. On the resulting inbound, Trevor Ariza threw the ball into no-man’s land, where it was picked up by Livingston and passed ahead to Clark, whose layup gave Golden State a 96-95 lead with 10.6 seconds left to play. The fireworks wouldn’t end there, however, unfortunately for the Warriors. James Harden received the inbounds pass, drove the length of the court, and drained a stepback jumper to reclaim a 97-96 advantage with 2.7 seconds remaining. Golden State called timeout and advanced the ball, but Draymond Green dribbled the ball straight off his foot and out of bounds, clinching the victory for Houston. With the loss, Golden State now leads the series two games to one heading into Game 4 on Sunday.