ANKARA
The Golden State Warriors defeated the Houston Rockets 99-98 to take a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference Finals, thanks to the defensive moves of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.
The Golden State Warriors, who blew a 17-point-lead in the second quarter, found themselves on the brink of losing the game with 10 seconds to spare in the fourth quarter. However, Curry and Thompson, also known as the "Splash Brothers", were able to tie up superstar James Harden and prevent him from scoring the game-winning bucket for the Rockets.
Curry, who finished the game 33 points and 6 assists, got help from shooting-guard Klay Thompson, center Andrew Bogut and defensive specialist Draymond Green to get his team closer to the Western Conference title.
Thompson scored 13 points, Bogut chipped in with 14 points and 8 rebounds and 5 blocks, and Draymond Green added 12 points, grabbed 8 boards and dished out 7 assists for the Warriors.
James Harden scored a game-high 38 points, grabbed 10 boards and made 9 assists for an all round performance, but couldn't attempt a final shot to lift his team.
Rockets' center Dwight Howard scored 19 points and pulled down 17 rebounds for a losing effort.
With that result, the Warriors have now won all six games against the Houston Rockets this season; they swept the Rockets in four regular season games. The Warriors, who has the best home record in the NBA throughout 2014-2015 season, improved to 45-3 at their ground in Oakland, the Oracle Arena.
Stephen Curry, the NBA's three-point specialist, has now made a total of 55 three pointers in just 12 games. He only needs two more three pointers to pass Reggie Miller for an all-time playoff leader for most three-point field goals in a single playoff season.
The National Basketball Association Playoffs will continue with the Eastern Conference showdown as the Atlanta Hawks host Cleveland Cavaliers to even the series Friday night.
