The Golden State Warriors tied the Western Conference Finals at three games apiece after defeating the Rockets 115-86 in Game 6 on Saturday night. After trailing by 17 points at the end of the first quarter, Golden State closed within 10 at halftime, and ran away with the game in the second half behind a phenomenal shooting performance from the Splash Brothers. Klay Thompson was sensational, scoring 21 of his game-high 35 points in the second half, including seven of his nine three-pointers in the contest. Stephen Curry added 29 points and five threes as well, while Kevin Durant scored 23 and Draymond Green filled the stat sheet with four points, 10 rebounds, nine assists, four steals and five blocks. With the victory, Golden State forces a winner-take-all Game 7 in Houston on Monday night.
TEAM LEADERS
BAD START, GREAT FINISH
With their season on the line, the Warriors did not have the start they would have hoped for. They scored the game’s first two buckets, but Eric Gordon – who started in place of the injured Chris Paul – immediately answered with consecutive three-pointers, and Golden State wouldn’t lead again until the second half. After Thompson tied the game at 15 with 4:40 remaining in the opening quarter, Houston closed the frame on a 24-7 run to take their largest lead of the night at the end of one. The Warriors would begin to find their footing in the second quarter, but would still trail 61-51 going into halftime.
The second half, however, was all Golden State. The Warriors opened the third quarter on an 11-0 run, taking their first lead since early in the first quarter on Curry’s three-pointer with 9:24 remaining in the frame. Thompson converted two three-pointers of his own prior to that as part of the burst, and he continued to catch fire from there. Following Curry’s trey, there would be four more lead changes in the quarter, with the final one putting the Dubs in front for good. After Jordan Bell split free throws to pull Golden State within one, Thompson sank a three, followed by two more from Curry, and the Warriors never looked back from there.
Golden State took a 84-77 lead into the fourth and final quarter, and a Shaun Livingston dunk followed by another Thompson trey to open the scoring provided the deciding points in the contest. After Gerald Green answered to trim the deficit to 10, Curry scored seven-straight points to ignite a 22-2 Warriors’ run over the next six minutes, culminating in a 20-foot jumper from Patrick McCaw, who appeared in his first game since suffering a lumbar spine contusion back on March 31st. In total, the Warriors held the Rockets to 25 points in the second half and nine points in the fourth quarter, setting franchise playoff records for fewest points allowed in a half and quarter in the process.
SOMETHING ABOUT GAME 6
If you want to call Klay Thompson the greatest Game 6 player in NBA history, you might not find many to disagree with you after he put forth yet another legendary shooting performance on Saturday. Thompson finished with a game and personal 2018-postseason high 35 points for his 11th career 30-point playoff game and second of these playoffs, but what was particularly noteworthy was his proficiency from beyond the arc. After going 2-of-6 from three-point range in the first half, Thompson knocked down two in the first 95 seconds of the second and finished the game 9-of-14 from beyond the three-point line. His nine threes tied the second-highest total in NBA postseason history. The only player to convert more? That would also be Thompson, who made an NBA playoff record 11 three-pointers against Oklahoma City in Game 6 of the 2016 Western Conference Finals, another game in which Golden State was facing elimination, but went on to prevail.
UP NEXT
After taking Game 6 at home, the Warriors will head back to Houston to take on the Rockets in a winner-take-all Game 7 on Monday night.
GAME 7 WATCH PARTY
Come together with Dub Nation and watch the Western Conference Finals on Warriors Ground, even when the team is on the road. The official Warriors Watch Party will take place at Oracle Arena for Game 7 of the NBA Western Conference Finals. Doors at Oracle Arena will open at 5:00 p.m. with parking for $10 opening at 4:30 p.m. Tickets go on sale Sunday at noon and are $20 each. FULL DETAILS