The second-round series between the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rocketshas already had plenty of drama, and it continued in the first half of Game 2, when both Stephen Curry and James Harden suffered minor injuries.
While both players ultimately returned to the game, it was the Rockets who made the late charge to put themselves in a position to steal homecourt advantage in this best-of-seven series. However, in the end, it wasn’t enough as the defending champions held on for a 115-109 victory.
With the series shifting from Oakland to Houston for Game 3, there will be plenty of pressure on both sides to ensure that they pick up the next win in this series in hopes of punching their ticket to the Western Conference finals.
The Warriors never trailed in this game, and the Dubs’ lack of turnovers had everything to do with that. The Dubs had just two turnovers in the first quarter, but Houston, meanwhile, committed nine that led to 14 points for the Warriors, helping the Dubs to get out to a lead they would never lose. The Rockets would finsh the game with 18 turnovers leading to 24 Warriors points.
“Despite that quick start, we were fighting them off the whole game,” Kerr said.
Andre Iguodala once again started the game as the Dubs went without a traditional center, and he made his presence felt early. He scored the team’s first six points of the game and finished the game 6-for-9 from the field for 16 points, including some big dunks at key times for the Dubs.
“He doesn’t look 35 to me,” Kerr said. “When you combine that athleticism with that brain, now you have a hell of a player … He does so many things for us and I thought he was incredible tonight.”
After playing every other day for the last two games of the first round and the first two games of this current series, the Warriors will have three days off before the series resumes with Game 3 on Saturday in Houston.