Post Up: CP3, Harden Snap Warriors’ Home Winning Streak

Rockets 95, Warriors 92 (Tied 2-2)

The Conference Finals finally gifted fans with a tight game, but it didn’t look that way at a first glance as the Golden State Warriors raced out to a 12-0 lead five minutes into the game four. A timely Mike D’Antoni timeout to recollect his squad and send in Eric Gordon reversed the Houston Rockets’ fortunes as they finished the first half on a 53-34 run to take a seven-point lead at the intermission.

Steph Curry came out and put on a show in the third quarter, scoring 17 points of his 28 total points. Curry nailed three 3’s en route to 11 points in a span of 1:36 late in the quarter to give Golden State the lead back.

As a team, the Warriors scored 34 third quarter points; however, that deft shooting touch went AWOL in the final period as they missed their final five shots from the floor — the last of which was a Curry 3 at the buzzer — to conclude a 16-game postseason winning streak in Oakland.

Gordon’s 3-pointer with 2:27 to go extended Houston’s lead to five and effectively put the nail in the coffin as the last made field goal of the night. The Rockets outscored the Warriors 25-12 in the final period.

The Rockets’ backcourt duo of James Harden and Chris Paul shined when it mattered most, combining for 57 points, eight assists and four steals. Harden almost single-handedly led the first half comeback, scoring 24 of his 30 points before halftime.

Kevin Durant added 27 points and a team-high 12 rebounds for the Warriors.