Rockets down champions Warriors without ill MVP Harden
LOS ANGELES: Eric Gordon scored a team high 25 points and Chris Paul delivered 23 as the Houston Rockets, playing without leading scorer James Harden, used a balanced attack to beat the Golden State Warriors 118-112.
The Rockets won on the road without the reigning NBA most valuable player Harden, who has been bothered by a sore neck of late and then woke up Saturday morning with flu symptoms, the team said.
“You can come in here and win on a Monday night in February or a Tuesday night in November or December,” Paul said.
“But in the playoffs is when you have to beat a team four out of seven times. It’s great tonight that we won this but in two days you all will forget this. We all will.”
Harden, who was fined US$25,000 (RM102,000) earlier Saturday for criticising the referees after a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, has missed just four games this season.
Saturday’s win showed the team’s depth without Harden, who has scored 30 or more points in 32 straight games for the second longest streak in league history.
The two-time defending NBA champions Warriors beat the Rockets in a seven-game series last May in the Western Conference Finals, but this regular season the tables have turned. Houston has now won all three meetings with Golden State this season, including a 107-86 rout in November.
Paul converted two clutch free throws with 68 seconds left in the fourth and Gordon nailed four three pointers for the Rockets, who had to use different means to beat the Warriors.
When the Rockets blew a big lead and lost to the Lakers 111-106 on Thursday night, it left analysts wondering if the team were relying too much on Harden and whether or not his streak was becoming a distraction.
Kenneth Faried started in Harden’s place and delivered 20 points and 10 rebounds as five Rocket players scored in double figures.
P.J. Tucker tallied 18 points and 10 rebounds and Gerald Green scored 10 points as the Rockets ran off to a 20-point lead in the first half. Clint Capela grabbed 15 rebounds.
Paul dished out 11 of his season-high 17 assists in the first half to reach 9,000 for his career as the Rockets avoided a third straight road loss.
Kevin Durant scored 29 points and Stephen Curry added 25 with nine rebounds and seven assists for Golden State, who had their fivegame home winning streak snapped.
Golden State’s Draymond Green exited the game in the fourth quarter with a sprained left ankle. He is expected to be evaluated by team doctors on Sunday.
Elsewhere, Buddy Hield scored 34 points to help the Sacramento Kings hold off Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder 119-116.
A night after making a game-winner at the buzzer in double overtime against Utah, the Thunder’s Paul George tried to repeat his heroics.
George’s potential game-tying shot at the buzzer rattled off the front of the rim to give the Kings the victory and the season series three games to on.
Westbrook finished with 41 points on 15-of-30 shooting with 10 rebounds. It was Westbrook’s third straight game scoring 40 or more points. — AFP