The Golden State Warriors took a 1-0 lead in the Western Conference Finals after defeating the Houston Rockets on Monday at the Toyota Center.
Despite coming into Game 1 as 1.5-point underdogs, the reigning NBA champion Golden State Warriors came out of Toyota Center victorious Monday evening, defeating the Houston Rockets 119-106.
The Dubs started off a step behind the Rockets, going down 12-4 in the first three minutes of the game. Golden State recovered by the end of the first quarter, brining the game to within a single point off a couple of timely shots from Kevin Durant.
The Warriors went on a 14-7 run in the middle of the second, taking a 7-point lead at the 4:29 mark thanks to a layup by Stephen Curry. That ended up being their largest lead of the first half, as Houston recomposed to tie the game at 56 a piece by halftime.
The second half started as a battle between KD and the 2018 NBA MVP, James Harden. The pair of former teammates put on a clinic to kick off the third quarter, hitting tough shot after tough shot in an attempt to keep their respective teams in the game.
By the 5:24 mark, Golden State had established their largest lead of the game at eight, which was built up to as many as 13. Unfortunately, an ill-advised substitution for Durant led to a late, 8-0 run by Houston to bring the deficit down to five.
The Warriors surprisingly opted to rest Curry and Durant to start the fourth quarter, but Klay Thompson was lucky able to carry the scoring load, inciting a 7-2 run before KD was subbed back into the game.
Golden State finished the night with a 36-26 fourth quarter to put the Rockets away, winning a pivotal Game 1 to set the tone for the rest of the series.
GSW Game 1 Stats
Kevin Durant paced the Golden State Warriors on Monday, dropping in 37 points, three rebounds, one assist, and one block in 40 minutes. He shot 14-of-27 from the field, 3-of-6 from behind the arc and 6-of-6 from the free throw line.
Klay Thompson posted 28 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals in 42 minutes of play, shooting 9-of-18 from the field, 6-of-15 from long range and 4-of-4 from the charity stripe.
Stephen Curry had an up-and-down game, finishing with 18 points, six rebounds, eight assists and two steals on 8-of-15 shooting. Hopefully the former unanimous MVP finds a much more consistent rhythm as the series progresses.
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Draymond Green was a game-high +19, tallying five points, nine rebounds, nine assists, two steals and two blocks in 37 minutes.