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SPORTS Friday 18 May 2018

Rockets rout Warriors 127-

105 to tie series at 1-all

By KRISTIE RIEKEN Klay Thompson combined
HOUSTON (AP) — The Hous- for just 24 points after the
ton Rockets were the best pair went for 46 in Game 1.
team in the NBA in the reg- Houston wasn't able to slow
ular season. down Durant, but did a
They played like it Wednes- much better job of limiting
day night, using a bal- open 3-pointers by Thomp-
anced scoring attack to son and Curry, and the two
rout the Golden State War- made just 3 of 12 attempts.
riors 127-105 and even the "They were desperate to-
Western Conference finals night and played like it, and
at one game apiece. we weren't and it showed,"
James Harden and Eric Golden State coach Steve
Gordon each scored 27 Kerr said.
points on a night Houston The Warriors made three
had five players score 16 free throws to get within 11
points or more. early in the fourth quarter
"We can beat anybody, before the Rockets scored
anywhere at any time the next 11 points, with 3s
playing the way we play," from Gordon, Tucker and
coach Mike D'Antoni said. Harden to make it 111-89
The Rockets didn't trail af- with about 6 1/2 minutes to
ter the first quarter and led play.
by double digits for most Durant made a basket af-
of the night. They head ter that, but Houston scored
to Oakland, California for the next eight points to ex-
Game 3 on Sunday night tend the lead to 119-91
feeling much better after with about five minutes left.
rebounding from a deflat- The Warriors got frustrated
ing 119-106 loss in the series in that stretch, with Durant
opener. getting a technical for
P.J. Tucker added a play- shoving Harden in the back
off career-high 22 and and Draymond Green
Trevor Ariza had 19 as both pushing Ariza out of bounds
bounced back after strug- seconds later. It was then
gling in Game 1. Tucker that Kerr sent all of his start-
had just one point in that ers to the bench for good.
game and Ariza scored Gordon came off the
eight, but was limited on bench to make six 3-point-
defense after collecting his ers, Tucker tied a playoff
fifth foul early in the third best with five and Harden
quarter. added three.
"I never worry about my of- "They were more settled
fense ... it's all on defense," tonight and they hit timely Houston Rockets guard James Harden, right, and forward Luc Mbah a Moute vie for a loose ball
Tucker said. "If we get shots," Durant said. "The first during the first half of Game 2 of the NBA basketball playoffs Western Conference finals against
stops we'll be able to run. It quarter was still the most im- the Golden State Warriors, Wednesday, May 16, 2018, in Houston.
changes the game and it portant part of the game.
changes the way we play Eric Gordon hit two big 3s the first time this postseason ping a 10-game winning "You can look at it any way
and we know that." and that kind of settled and the Warriors lost in the streak in such games. you want ... and parcel
Kevin Durant had 38 points them in. Those shots did it for second game of a playoff "We got outplayed the it out, but it didn't matter
after scoring 37 in the open- them."Houston avoided los- series for the first time since whole game ... we got it who we had out there to-
er, but Stephen Curry and ing consecutive games for the 2015 NBA Finals, snap- handed to us," Kerr said. night we got beat."q