The Golden State Warriors now trail the Houston Rockets in the Western Conference Finals after losing Game 5 at the Toyota Center.
Basketball fans around the world suffered an intensely prolonged anxiety attack watching the Golden State Warriors and the Houston Rockets battle back and forth over the course of a crucial Game 5 at the Toyota Center.
But alas, it just wasn’t meant to end in a victory for the blue and gold; instead, DubNation watched as the Warriors once again failed to keep their composure down the stretch, squandering a number of opportunities to create some positive separation.
Eventually everyone’s Thursday night ended with a 98-94 win for the Rockets, which could ultimately lead to a Game 7 should the Dubs successfully defend Oracle Arena on Saturday.
The Warriors once again came out flat to start the night, continuing to rely far too much on the same isolation plays that lost them Game 4.
"If you can shimmy on somebody else, you gotta be alright getting shimmied on." - Steph 😂#GameTime pic.twitter.com/iKgneLfR4u
— NBA TV (@NBATV) May 25, 2018
Trailing the Rockets 23-17 after the first quarter, Golden State started to move the ball a bit more in the second and made a concerted effort to get to the line, coming back to tie the game at 45 a piece by halftime.
The third quarter Dubs unfortunately failed to make an appearance, which led to a narrow one-point lead over Houston going into the final 12 minutes. Despite having all the tools needed to win the game, the Warriors completely fumbled the fourth quarter, opening the door for the Rockets to win the Western Conference Finals.
Kevin Durant led all scorers with 29 points on 8-of-22 shooting from the field, 3-of-6 shooting from behind the arc and 10-of-10 shooting from the free throw line. He added four rebounds and one block in 40 minutes of play.
Next: Kevin Durant named to All-NBA First Team
Klay Thompson finished with 23 points, four rebounds and one assist on 8-of-14 shooting, while Stephen Curry recorded 22 points, seven rebounds, six assists and four steals. Draymond Green notched a double-double, tallying 12 points, 15 rebounds, four assists and one steal.