The Warrior regained a lead in the Western Conference Finals after cruising to a 126-85 home victory over the Rockets in Game 3 on Sunday night. After taking an 11-point advantage into halftime, Golden State opened the third quarter on a 10-0 run and never looked back. Stephen Curry put forth his best performance in the series thus far, scoring 18 of his team-high 35 points in the third quarter. Kevin Durant added 25 points, while Draymond Green had a monster game with 10 points, 17 rebounds and six assists. With the win, the Warriors take a 2-1 series lead heading into Game 4 on Tuesday.
TEAM LEADERS
RECORD MARGIN
The start of the game was not indicative of the way it would end. Houston scored the game’s first four points, and their first several baskets were of the uncontested variety. However, the Warriors soon rectified the lackluster defense, and asserted their control over the game from that point forward.
Golden State outscored the Rockets by 30 points in the second half, and their 41-point margin of victory was the largest in franchise postseason history, passing the mark of 39 set by the Philadelphia Warriors in an 85-46 win over the St. Louis Bombers on April 6, 1948. Additionally, it was the largest margin of defeat in Rockets’ playoff history, and the largest margin of victory in NBA playoff history over a team that won at least 65 regular season games.
NBA POSTSEASON RECORD
The margin of victory wasn’t the only thing that put the Warriors in the record books on Sunday. With the win, the Warriors have set an NBA record with 16 consecutive playoff home victories, passing the mark of 15-straight set by the Chicago Bulls from April 27, 1990 to May 21, 1991.
CURRY FLURRY
Perhaps it’s no coincidence that as soon as Stephen Curry found his shooting stroke, the Warriors looked as unbeatable as they have all series. His struggles from three-point range through the first two games in Houston persisted into the first half of Sunday’s contest, but upon resumption of play in the third quarter, the two-time MVP looked like his old self.
After making only three of 11 first half field goal attempts, including only 1-of-7 from three-point range, Curry caught fire in a patented third quarter Curry flurry to blow the game wide open. He scored 18 points and made all seven shots he attempted in the third frame, including two from beyond the arc. It marked his 10th career postseason quarter with at least 17 points; of those ten, seven have come in the third quarter.
TURNOVERS
Whereas in Game 2 it was Golden State getting off to a sloppy start, the shoe was on the other foot in Game 3 on Sunday. Houston committed seven turnovers in the opening quarter, matching the seven Warriors’ first quarter miscues from Game 2. Meanwhile, Golden State limited themselves to four turnovers in the first frame, and none at all in the second. They’d finish the contest having committed eight turnovers, compared to 20 for Houston. In total, the Warriors outscored the Rockets 28-8 in points off turnovers.
UP NEXT
Leading the series 2-1, the Warriors will attempt to defend home court once again when they host the Rockets in Game 4 on Tuesday. FIND TICKETS