After playing poorly in the Game 1 of Western Conference Finals against the Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets found their footing in Game 2 beating the Warriors 127-106 to tie the series 1-1.
One of the reasons why Houston Rockets managed to win so convincingly was the fact that James Harden didn’t have to carry the offensive load by himself. Rockets had five of their players scored 16 or more points including Harden and Eric Gordon who had 27 points, while PJ Tucker and Trevor Ariza added 22 and 19 respectively. Chris Paul ended the night with 16 points but dished out 6 assists and had a great performance on the defense.
Rockets collectively played an impressive game and proved that they can give Warriors run for their money but according to Harden, we are yet to see them on their best.
“If the first game we were at a 70, tonight we were at a 95,” – said Harden after the game. “We were pretty aggressive defensively, and that allowed us to get out in transition. If we be comfortable, sit back and just allow them to get to their spots and run around freely, then they’re going to pick us apart. But if we get into them and try to make it tougher on them, good things will happen for us.“
“We can beat anybody, anywhere at any time playing the way we play,” – added Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni.
Golden State Warriors, on the other side, struggled early on with the turnovers and couldn’t find the answer for the Rockets defense. Kevin Durant had another great game scoring 38 points, but he couldn’t do it all by himself especially since Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson failed to leave their mark on the game. Curry was the only Warriors player except Duran to score in double digits with 16, while Thompson had 8.
“They were desperate tonight and played like it, and we weren’t and it showed,” – said Warriors coach Steve Kerr after the game.
The series will now move to Oakland, with the Game 3 of Western Conference Finals scheduled to take place on Sunday night at Oracle Arena.
