Warriors at Rockets
The Golden State Warriors brushed aside the chatter about officiating after Game 1 and earned a 115-109 victory in Game 2 on Tuesday, giving themselves a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference semifinals with a few days off to rest. The Warriors will try to take a commanding 3-0 advantage when they visit the Houston Rockets for Game 3 on Saturday.
The Rockets were upset about the lack of calls in their favor in Game 1 - a 104-100 Golden State victory - but the Warriors kept the focus on the court and managed to drown out any potential distraction. "All the conversations and all the storylines and the attention on Game 1, the one thing that we could control is our focus on what matters," Golden State star Stephen Curry told reporters. "In terms of winning a basketball game, that's outplaying them. We came in with the right composure in understanding that there will be calls that won't go our way. You just deal with it, keep playing it. Next-play mentality." Houston attempted 25 free throws to Golden State's 24 in Game 2 but also committed 18 turnovers and suffered a blow when star James Harden had to leave the game briefly after getting scratched in both eyes. "He got raked pretty good in the eyes, but that's him," Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni told reporters. "I mean, I didn't have a doubt that he was coming back unless it was something catastrophic. I'm sure he would have loved to play better. Under the circumstances, I thought he played great."
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, ABC
ABOUT THE WARRIORS: Harden wasn't the only star to come out of Game 2 banged up as Curry suffered a dislocated middle left finger in the first quarter and ended up 6-of-16 from the floor in the contest, but he is expected to be ready for Saturday. "He practiced fully," Golden State coach Steve Kerr told reporters of Curry after practice on Thursday. "He's got it taped up, but it's probably good that we've got a few days off. So hopefully the pain will continue to go down as we get closer to game time." Fellow superstar Kevin Durant led the way with 29 points in Game 2, snapping a streak of five straight postseason games scoring at least 30 points.
ABOUT THE ROCKETS: Harden told reporters he could barely see after Game 2 and was diagnosed with contusions in both eyes and a laceration in his left eyelid but no cornea damage, and he is expected to play on Saturday. "Nah, still tough," Harden told reporters when asked about the pain in his eyes. "Especially in bright lights. But I can see y'all a little bit better, so that's all that matters." Harden averaged 32 points in the first two games while point guard Chris Paul added an average of 17.5.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Warriors PF Draymond Green is averaging 15 points, 11.7 rebounds and 8.7 assists over the last three games.
2. Rockets C Clint Capela (14 points, 10 rebounds) and PF PJ Tucker (13 points, 10 rebounds) each recorded a double-double in Game 2 after combining for four points and nine boards in Game 1.
3. Golden State's lone win in the four-game, regular-season series came at Houston 106-104 on March 13.