Stephen Curry Leads Warriors Past Rockets in Game 5 Despite Kevin Durant Injury
The Golden State Warriors survived a Kevin Durant calf injury and are one win away from their fifth consecutive Western Conference Finals appearance following Wednesday's 104-99 victory in Game 5 of their second-round clash with the Houston Rockets.
Golden State has won all three games at Oracle Arena in the series, allowing it to take a 3-2 lead even though it dropped both road contests.
The result took a backseat when Durant limped off the court following a noncontact injury in the third quarter. He didn't return with what the Warriors announced was a right calf strain, putting Klay Thompson (27 points, four rebounds and three steals), Stephen Curry (25 points, six rebounds and five assists) and Draymond Green (eight points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists) in position to carry the team to victory.
James Harden stuffed the stat sheet for the Rockets with 31 points, eight assists, four steals and four rebounds, but he didn't make enough plays in crunch time after Durant exited to take advantage of the situation.
Houston may also feel robbed of a chance to tie the game with less than 10 seconds remaining when it appeared Thompson may have stepped out of bounds before releasing the ball with Golden State nursing a three-point lead. It was a notable moment, especially in a series that has featured officiating as a major storyline.
Warriors Will Still Reach 5th Straight Finals With or Without KD
The tension was palpable in Oracle Arena.
Durant has carried the Warriors throughout these playoffs, and seeing him limp off—while the TNT broadcast speculated about a potential Achilles injury—likely had Warriors fans fearing the end of their dynasty came sooner than expected.
Durant is the two-time reigning NBA Finals MVP and is playing arguably the best basketball of his career in full-on takeover mode. He had 50 points in the closeout game against the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round, averaged 36 in the first four games against Houston and had 22 before exiting Wednesday's contest.
He is impossible to stop with his ability to explode to the rim with his first step and shoot over smaller defenders, which makes him one of the biggest matchup nightmares in league history.
Just when all looked lost, Green drilled a massive three-pointer to push the lead from two to five in the final minutes. The Warriors' emotional leader urged the crowd to get involved, and Thompson fed off the energy and connected on a triple on the ensuing possession.
It was a reminder of what this team was before Durant changed it from a juggernaut into a dynasty.
While many of the ancillary pieces are different, the core of Curry, Thompson, Green, Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston that won the 2015 title and a regular-season record 73 games in 2015-16 is still in place. This is the group that ousted Durant's Oklahoma City Thunder in a dramatic seven-game Western Conference Finals in 2015-16, and it will do the same to Harden's Rockets regardless of No. 35's status.
That group sent a loud message in the first quarter as well, with Green playing quarterback to basketball poetry and Thompson catching fire from the outside.
Green threaded passes through multiple defenders, unleashed skip passes whenever Houston was slow on a rotation and even hit his own three-pointer on his way to eight assists in the first quarter alone. Thompson poured in 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting, taking full advantage of the slightest sliver of space whenever the Rockets closed out on Curry.
It was a breath of fresh air for Golden State after Thompson shot an ugly 38.7 percent from the field and 30.8 percent from three-point range with 2.3 turnovers and 2.0 assists per night in the first four games of the series.
The Warriors built a 31-17 lead while Curry was 0-for-3 from the field with zero points, but he was far more assertive after Durant exited. Kevin O'Connor of the Ringer pointed out the difference:
Curry's struggles have been a constant theme in this series as he misses layups, a dunk and more threes than usual. He shot only 26.1 percent from deep in the first four games and was a mere 3-of-11 in Wednesday's contest.
Still, he tapped into an extra level of aggression in crunch time after Durant's injury and has a track record of success that suggests he will rise to the occasion in the coming games. He is a two-time MVP, three-time champion and entered Game 5 averaging 25.8 points, 6.3 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game while shooting 40.5 percent from deep in his extensive postseason career.
Houston has played Curry well and is making him exert energy on defense by constantly targeting him in pick-and-rolls with Harden, but nobody is better primed to find their stroke after a lackluster stretch than him.
A more aggressive Curry in a go-to role without Durant, Green thriving as a facilitator and Thompson finding his stroke after multiple rough outings is a troublesome formula for the Rockets.
Golden State could be Durant-less next season if he declines his player option and leaves in free agency. It now may have the chance to remind the NBA how talented it was before his arrival.
The Warriors will do just that on the way to their fifth straight NBA Finals.
What's Next?
The series returns to Houston for Friday's Game 6.
