Warriors vs. Rockets: Game 3 Score and Twitter Reaction from 2016 NBA Playoffs

The Houston Rockets failed to capitalize on Stephen Curry's absence (ankle) in Game 2 of their first-round showdown against the Golden State Warriors, but they made amends for that slip-up by grinding out a 97-96 Game 3 victory behind a game-winning jumper by James Harden with 2.7 seconds remaining in regulation at Toyota Center on Thursday.

Although the Rockets momentarily choked the lead away after an errant inbounds pass resulted in a go-ahead fast-break layup by Ian Clark with 10.6 seconds left, Harden calmly took the ball the length of the floor before pulling up for a smooth conversion near the free-throw line after shaking Andre Iguodala:

However, the fact that the Warriors were in position to steal Game 3 was an accomplishment in itself.

Not only did Golden State trail by as many as 17 points in the first half, but Klay Thompson also missed all seven of his three-point attempts while finishing with just 17 points. As a team, the Warriors shot 6-of-25 from beyond the arc.

Marreese Speights finished as the team's leading scorer with 22 points off the bench. He also accounted for half of Golden State's made threes on the night. 

Clark (11 points) and Shaun Livingston (16 points) were the Warriors' only other bright spots. Despite flirting with a triple-double (nine points, seven rebounds, seven assists), Draymond Green shot just 3-of-9 from the field before fumbling the ball out of bounds on Golden State's final possession.

Houston shot a putrid 39.1 percent from the floor, but 35 points from Harden helped mask the team's inefficiencies as the Rockets sputtered down the stretch following a strong first quarter. 

After dropping 30-plus points in a quarter just once over the course of Games 1 and 2, Houston burst out of the gate and poured in 31 points to take an early 13-point lead.

The opening statement was fueled by excellence from Harden and Dwight Howard (13 points, 13 rebounds), each of whom provided a signature moment of his own to help energize Houston.

Howard resembled a human pogo stick on both ends of the floor throughout the first half, and his early rejection of Festus Ezeli highlighted both Houston's intensity and Golden State's lethargy: 

Harden kept Houston rolling throughout the opening frame with a vicious crossover and jumper in the face of the reigning NBA Finals MVP:

However, Houston struggled to churn out those electric moments at a consistent clip from that point forward.

The Warriors outscored the Rockets 30-24 in the second quarter, and their ability to trim the deficit to seven points entering halftime laid the groundwork for a comeback as the second half rolled on. 

Golden State's persistence paid off. The defending champion cut Houston's lead to one with 8:59 remaining, and it refused to go away even when Harden attempted to intimidate Green following a huge conversion from beyond the arc:

The Warriors went on to outscore the Rockets in each of the final three quarters, but a handful of missed opportunities down the stretch proved to be the difference on a night when Golden State couldn't buy a bucket from beyond the arc.

In one sense, the Warriors can take solace in the fact that, despite putting forth a shoddy effort, they still almost churned out a win.

Plus, with a two-day break before Game 4, Curry will have ample time to rest and let his ankle heal before the team decides whether to deploy him as the Warriors seek to head back to the Bay Area with a 3-1 lead.

But even if Curry doesn't play, the Warriors should be able to channel their frustration from a languid Game 3 display into progression to the mean in all phases when Sunday rolls around.

Postgame Reaction

"We have to play better as a team," Steve Kerr said, per the Warriors' official Twitter account. 

"I was awful the whole game. ... I cost us that game," Green told reporters in the locker room, according to Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group. 

At the postgame podium, Harden broke down his heroics, as documented by NBA TV on Twitter: 

"The playoffs are about winning," Harden added, according to the Houston Chronicle's Jenny Dial Creech. "No matter how it gets done."

Looking ahead, Harden made it clear the Rockets couldn't settle following a huge Game 3 win. 

"We need to turn it to another level for Game 4," he said, per Dial Creech. 

"The next game has to be like we're playing a Game 7," Howard explained, per the Houston Chronicle's Jonathan Feigen. "We didn't come into this to win [one] game. We want to win the series."