Golden State already had beaten the Rockets without Curry once this season, in a 114-110 win December 31 in Houston.
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“We’ve relied on our depth all year, not just when Steph’s out”, Green said. “I do know is that we have to look after his health because the competitor that he is, he’s going to want to play”.
“Aw, it’s so much easier without him out there, you know?” “When Steph’s out there, his man just sags in the paint, he doesn’t move the ball, he’s a very selfish teammate”, Thompson cracked.
“We just match up well with the Rockets, I guess”. “I think that was one of the most important reasons why they went on a couple of runs”. “No one’s going to do it by themselves”, Thompson told NBA.com after the game.
Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry practices prior to Game 2 of a first-round NBA basketball playoff series against the Houston Rockets on Monday, April 18, 2016, in Oakland, Calif.
Thompson scored a game-high 34 points, and Andre Iguodala came off the bench to add 18 points.
Livingston averaged 19.5 minutes in the regular season; Iguodala averaged 26.6 minutes in the regular season. “Fortunately, we don’t play till Thursday and he’s got some time to get some treatment”. The biggest difference that kept the game close was James Harden’s ability to control the tempo – Harden shot 15 free throws in Game 2, compared to zero in Game 1.
Despite Curry’s absence, Warriors took care of business in Game 2, and coach Kerr reiterated that the team’s priority was the MVP’s health and not the status of the series.
Golden State did it on New Year’s Eve on Houston’s home court and did it again Monday at rockin’ Oracle Arena.
Asked if he felt an opportunity got away with Curry out, Harden said, “Yeah, for sure”.
However, even though both he and Russell Westbrook missed attempts to win, Steven Adams was sure his rebound went in before the the buzzer for the comeback victory.
Shaun Livingston, who started in place of Curry, put in 16 points.
Curry will have three full days to rest and recover before any decision is made. In most cases, things can get overly physical, and it did show signs during the first game.
“There’s a smaller margin for error”, Kerr said of the Warriors playing without their superstar point guard.
Thompson, hitting three 3-pointers and 15 of 16 from the free-throw line, led all scorers.
Golden State were never threatened after that, en route to a sixth consecutive win against Houston. He disappeared for the first two quarters and found a bit of a spark in the third, however his lack of touches frustrated him to the point where he fouled out of the game.
Steph Curry is so brilliant it is hard to appreciate how good Klay Thompson is as he often performs in his shadow. The Warriors will want to keep that guiding principle at the front of their minds as they venture to Houston for Games 3 and 4 later this week.
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Howard fouled out after making contact with Green on a rebound, and two subsequent free throws made it 105-90.
