The two best teams in the West this season square off in what promises to be an EPIC Conference Finals, with the #1-seeded Golden State Warriors set to do battle with the #2-seeded Houston Rockets. They met four times during the regular season, all of which were won by the Warriors. Here's how they all played out:
November 8 - Golden State wins 98-87 at Houston
This win gave the Warriors their first 5-0 start in 20 years and the Rockets their first loss of the season. Houston led by eight at halftime, but a dominant third quarter from Stephen Curry and the Warriors gave them total control of the game. Dwight Howard did not play with flu-like symptoms, and Harden shot just 8/24 from the floor, including 1/11 from three-point range. That mirrored the Rockets struggles as a team as they shot below 35 percent from the floor.
December 10 - Golden State wins 105-93 vs. Houston
The Warriors started slow again and trailed by a sizable margin early, but Curry and Klay Thompson shot Golden State back into the game and won with a big fourth quarter. Howard did not play again as he was dealing with a right knee strain, but Harden played much better with 34 points. The difference in his game was the bench production, as Golden State's backups outscored Houston's 26-5.
January 17 - Golden State wins 131-106 at Houston
Golden State controlled this game from the jump as Curry and Thompson again dominated the game, scoring 27 points apiece, but the most impressive aspect was Thompson's ability to guard James Harden effectively again. He scored just 12 points on 4/15 shooting and only got to the foul line seven times. The Warriors also shot nearly 55 percent from the field as a team, showing Houston's inability to stop them offensively.
January 21 - Golden State wins 126-113 vs. Houston
Curry (22 points) and Thompson (27 points) had good games again, but Harden matched them with 33 points. Unfortunately for the Rockets, the rest of the starting lineup - including Howard - combined for just 23 points. Because of that, Houston simply wasn't able to keep up with Golden State's high-powered attack.
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