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Golden State Warriors down Houston Rockets to take 2-0 series lead

By Nathan Beighle

OAKLAND, CA - APRIL 30: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors reacts to a play during Game Two of the Western Conference Semifinals of the 2019 NBA Playoffs against the Houston Rockets on April 30, 2019 at ORACLE Arena in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA - APRIL 30: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors reacts to a play during Game Two of the Western Conference Semifinals of the 2019 NBA Playoffs against the Houston Rockets on April 30, 2019 at ORACLE Arena in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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After both superstar point guards had first-quarter exits, the Golden State Warriors eventually prevailed, downing the Rockets to take a 2-0 series lead.

Don’t worry. If you were watching the game, you’d know that James Harden’s eye and Stephen Curry’s finger didn’t keep them out long. However, Harden’s return wasn’t enough for the Rockets to overcome the second-half onslaught of Golden State Warriors’ superstar Kevin Durant.

Durant and Harden tied for a game-high 29 points. Surprisingly, Harden tallied his 29 on three fewer shots. The 9-for-22 that Durant shot was unprecedented for the forward that’s been on a recent scoring tear.

Overall, this game didn’t have the flare that Game 1 had, but it is certainly just as important. The Warriors won this game in the first quarter. They were plus-nine in the first and won the game by eight with the second through fourth being a +3 to Houston.

Most of the Warriors’ run was prior to James Harden’s injury. Harden ended a -9 in 34 minutes while Capela ended a -19. Chris Paul was the only Rocket with a positive plus/minus. While it can be a misleading stat, the Rockets certainly looked worse with Capela on the court in Game 2.

That’ll be a huge focal point of Game 3 and the rest of the series. Thus far, the Rockets have survived on driving hard to the rim and either lobbing it to Capela or kicking it out. In Game 2, the Dubs were helping excellently on Capela and rotating perfectly to open shooters.

That’s why Golden State was able to see Curry shoot just 3-13 from deep and not even break a sweat. The Dubs were one miss from shooting under 30% from deep while Houston shot over 40%. Given Houston’s volume three-point shooting, hearing that would typically indicate a Houston win.

Think again.

The heart and the soul that Golden State played with combined with their home crowd at Oracle sparked a fire that quenched every Houston run. Their gameplan was also played out almost as flawlessly as possible.

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That said, now the NBA’s best road team will get a chance to prove themselves even further as they’ll travel to Houston to play Game 3 which is scheduled for Saturday.

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