Rockets vs. Warriors: Game 1 Score and Twitter Reaction from 2015 NBA Playoffs

Despite an incredible season, James Harden finished as the runner-up to Stephen Curry in the NBA Most Valuable Player voting. And just like in the MVP race, Harden's Houston Rockets finished just short of Curry's Golden State Warriors in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals on Tuesday, falling 110-106 at Oracle Arena.

Curry spearheaded the efforts with 34 points, six rebounds and five assists, while Harden finished with an impressive line of 28 points, 11 rebounds, nine assists and four steals. Much of the second half took on a Harden-against-the-Warriors feel after Houston lost an early lead, and Golden State ripped off a game-clinching 11-0 run in the fourth quarter to overcome the southpaw's efforts.

ESPN Stats & Info noted the Warriors simply seem to have Houston's number at this point:

The Rockets had their chances of stealing home-court advantage after opening a lead that ballooned to 16 points midway through the second quarter, but they chose a poor time to uncharacteristically blow the cushion, as John Schuhmann of NBA.com highlighted:

It is a testament to the Warriors' overall talent level and the power of their deafening crowd that Houston's double-digit first-half lead never felt overwhelming.

Golden State came storming back in the final minutes of the second quarter with a 25-6 run that electrified the crowd and stunned the Rockets. Curry's fadeaway shot at the buzzer that gave Golden State a 58-55 lead at halftime only felt appropriate, as Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle noted:

Here is a look at the MVP's buzzer-beating shot:

While Curry was fantastic for stretches as usual, Shaun Livingston deserved plenty of praise with 16 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field in the first half. He started the comeback with his timely offensive contributions off the bench, and Curry then put an exclamation mark on the first 24 minutes.

ESPN's Skip Bayless praised the backup guard for saving the top-seeded Warriors:

Livingston's 18 points Tuesday were a playoff career high, according to ESPN Stats & Info.

Golden State added to its lead in the opening minutes of the second half. Part of the problem for the Rockets in the third quarter was that Dwight Howard didn't look like himself after briefly exiting due to a knee injury scare in the first half, as Feigen pointed out:

Healthy Howard or not, Houston didn't have an answer for Curry early in the third quarter. Matt Moore of CBSSports.com commented on the sharpshooter:

To their credit, the Rockets battled back and tied the game at 71. Naturally, Curry had a subsequent answer from behind the three-point line, which sparked this reaction from Sports Illustrated's Peter King:

Jimmy Spencer of Sporting News pointed out that the fans in the building were the real winners on the NBA's draft lottery night:

Behind Curry's hot shooting, the Warriors took an 84-79 lead into the fourth quarter. They were controlling the pace of play and had the crowd on their side, but Harden and Trevor Ariza kept Houston in the game with a combined 35 points through the first three quarters.

Harden cut into Golden State's lead with a third-quarter buzzer-beater:

Even with the impressive effort to stay in the game, the Rockets were at less than 100 percent in the fourth, as Feigen relayed:

The loss of Howard would have been even more worrisome if it weren't for Harden's impressive individual efforts. ESPN's Ethan Strauss noted that Klay Thompson was powerless to stop the lefty, while Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News put things in simpler terms:

Harden tied the game at 97 points apiece with just over five minutes remaining. It was an absolute shot-making exhibition, and SportsNation noted that he was carrying his underdog teammates on the road in one of the NBA's most intimidating venues:

Ironically, before Game 1, Rockets coach Kevin McHale specifically said this series would not just be about Harden against the Warriors, per Sam Amick of USA Today. 

"We don't get to this (point) if not for Trev, Brew, Josh, Dwight, and Jet," McHale said. "We don't even get to today. ... Everybody that stepped on the floor really contributed."

As the game got tighter, tensions escalated between Draymond Green and Ariza:

While Harden deserved plenty of praise for his individual efforts, the Warriors simply had too much down the stretch for him and the rest of the Rockets. Curry capped off a decisive 11-0 run with less than three minutes remaining with a fallback three and layup that pushed the lead to 108-97.

GSW Stats pointed out that it was business as usual for the superstar:

Kawakami suggested Livingston's efforts early in the game that allowed Curry to rest helped set up the finishing kick:

The game felt over, but Houston came storming back in the final minute and trimmed the lead to 108-106 with 14 seconds left. Ariza drilled a three-pointer from the corner after he notched a steal on the other side, and the contest was once again in the balance.

Fortunately for the Warriors, Curry shot a league-high 91.4 percent from the charity stripe this season and calmly drilled two disaster-averting free throws with 11 seconds remaining to push the lead back to four. Harden missed a three-pointer on the ensuing possession, and the Warriors held on for the 110-106 victory.

What's Next?

Ben Margot/Associated Press

Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals is Thursday in Golden State.

Both teams will approach Thursday's showdown with a sense of urgency since Houston is now down a game in the series and Golden State will once again attempt to protect home-court advantage before heading to Houston.

It is difficult to envision the Rockets stealing a game in Oracle without a healthy Howard, although Harden proved Tuesday he can carry the offense for extended stretches in the clutch. Still, Golden State's offense has so many weapons that Harden will need more help moving forward in this series (outside of him, only Ariza and Josh Smith scored in double figures for Houston).

The MVP runner-up certainly got it against the Los Angeles Clippers in the last round. If his teammates can't deliver an encore against the Warriors, however, the Rockets' chances of advancing to the NBA Finals are minimal.