The Golden State Warriors survive, force a game seven
The Golden State Warriors defeat the Houston Rockets by a score of 115-86 in game six of the Western Conference Finals.
Game six of the Western Conference Finals did not begin well for the Golden State Warriors. Inevitably, the team was able to leave the game with a victory, but if you were to watch only the first half you would not have envisioned a scenario in which they won the game.
The Warriors entered half time down by ten, but it felt like they were down by 20. Trailing in the game by 17 points at one point in the first half, the team was getting outplayed in every sense. Making only four out of their eighteen attempted three point shots, the offense was stagnant.
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This was far from the case for the Houston Rockets. The Rockets’ offense was on fire, making an astounding 11 out of their 16 first half three point shots. Combine this efficiency from deep with James Harden’s stellar first half performance, and the Rockets looked unstoppable, while the Warriors looked defeated.
As is often the case with the Golden State Warriors this season, everything changed when the third quarter arrived.
The second half of this game looked like two totally different teams facing off then from what we saw in the prior two quarters. When the quarter began, the Warriors scored eight quick points to reduce the deficit to just two points. The Rockets saw their lead disappear faster than they could ever imagine.
This was effectively the turning point of the game. The Warriors continued to score and defend effectively as the third quarter went on. But the Rockets did not back down. The teams exchanged baskets for the remainder of the quarter, but ultimately the Warriors came out on top.
By the time the third quarter came to an end the home team was leading by five points, a fifteen point swing from the beginning of the quarter.
The fourth quarter is when things began to get out of hand. The Warriors continued their dominant second half play in the final quarter of the game, absolutely demolishing the Rockets on both ends.
The Warriors ended up winning the game by a score of 115-86. Houston went cold, scoring just nine points in the fourth quarter.
Next: Warriors reeling after game five loss
Golden State’s second half resurgence was led by Klay Thompson. Thompson scored 35 points on 13 for 23 shooting, with 31 points coming in the second half. Thompson was joined by Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant as the three Warriors to score more than 20 points. Curry and Durant scored 29 and 23, respectively.
The Golden State Warriors will not travel to Houston for game seven of this series on Monday night. The Warriors have all the momentum, but none of the home court advantage. It will be interesting to see how these factors combine with the health of Andre Iguoldala and Chris Paul to decide who moves on to the 2018 NBA Finals.