After winning Game 3, the Warriors will try to defend home court once again when they host the Rockets in Game 4 on Tuesday night.
Warriors vs. RocketsGame 4Tuesday, May 226:00 p.m.Oracle Arena
WATCH: TNT
RADIO: 95.7 The Game, Warriors Mobile App and Warriors Radio Network
MORE IN FOUR
Leading the series 2-1, the Warriors will attempt to defend home court once again when they host the Rockets in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals on Tuesday night. This will be the second and final game at Oracle Arena before the series transitions back to Houston for Game 5. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. (Pacific), and the first 5,000 fans in attendance will receive a Strength In Numbers drawstring bag. Watch the action on TNT, or listen to the call on 95.7 The Game, the Warriors Mobile App and the Warriors Radio Network. FIND TICKETS
LAST TIME OUT Stephen Curry scored 18 of his 35 points in the third quarter as the Warriors ran away with a 126-85 victory in Game 3 on Sunday night. Full Recap
MATCHUP AT A GLANCE
LAST GAME'S STARTERS
GSW: Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Andre Iguodala, Kevin Durant, and Draymond Green
HOU: Chris Paul, James Harden, Trevor Ariza, P.J. Tucker and Clint Capela
INJURY & ROSTER NOTES
GSW: Andre Iguodala (left lateral leg contusion) is questionable. Patrick McCaw (lumbar spine contusion) is out. Team Notes
HOU: Team Notes
IGUODALA'S STATUS
A bit of a wrench was thrown into the positivity surrounding the Warriors when Steve Kerr announced that Andre Iguodala is doubtful to play in Game 4 following practice on Monday. He's since been upgraded to questionable, but if he does indeed miss Tuesday’s Game 4, it will inevitably force Kerr to make some changes to his lineups. For one, Iguodala and the rest of the Hamptons 5 have started each of the last five games for the Warriors, so someone would have to take his place at the opening tip. Additionally, Golden State is 6-0 this postseason when Iguodala scores in double figures, so Kerr will have to find that offensive production elsewhere. It is worth noting that Iguodala missed both of the Rockets’ wins over the Warriors during the regular season, but equally noteworthy is the fact that Golden State has actually performed better against the Rockets up to this point in the series when Iguodala has been off the floor, as opposed to on it. With Iguodala on the floor in this series, the Warriors have a net rating of plus-4.3 points per 100 possessions. When he’s been off the court, however, the Dubs have a net rating of 27.3, including a defensive rating improvement of 17.1 points per 100 possessions. There is no question the Warriors would rather have Iguodala in tow when they take the court on Tuesday night, but at the very least, they’ve proven they can be successful without him.
TEAM PLAYOFF LEADERS
CURRY UNLEASHED
It may have taken longer than many expected, but Stephen Curry finally broke through in Game 3 on Sunday night. After struggling to get his shot to fall through the first 2.5 games of the series, the two-time MVP unleashed one of his patented third quarter flurries that have come to define his growing legend, and may have tilted the series in Golden State’s favor in the process. Curry was scintillating in that third quarter, making all seven shots he attempted – including two from three-point land – for a total of 18 points in the frame. That was the 10th time in his postseason career scoring at least 17 points in a single quarter, and of those 10 instances, seven have come in the third frame. Curry carried his hot hand into the fourth quarter and finished with a game-high 35 points in 34 minutes of action, before sitting out the final 5:11 with the victory well in hand. It marked Curry’s first 30-point game of the 2018 postseason and his fourth time scoring at least 35 points in 35 minutes or fewer of a playoff game, surpassing Shaquille O’Neal (three) for the most such playoff games in the Shot Clock Era. There are few players – if any – capable of turning a close game into a rout in the blink of eye like Curry can, if he puts forth a similar performance in Game 4, it will likely require a superb effort on behalf of the Rockets in order to stave off defeat.