The Rockets Dominated The Warriors In Game 2 To Even The Series At 1-1

Getty Image

No matter how much they bristled at the notion that they needed to change things up after their Game 1 blowout loss, the Rockets did precisely that as they were a completely different team on Wednesday night in a dominating 127-105 win over the Warriors to even their Western Conference Finals series at 1-1.

James Harden led the way with 27 points and 10 rebounds, while Eric Gordon added 27 points off the bench on 6-of-9 shooting from behind the arc to provide a much needed boost (and a game-high +29).


One of the criticisms levied against Houston after Game 1 was their isolation-heavy offense. Mike D’Antoni said prior to tip-off that the Rockets wouldn’t alter their strategy, insisting that they simply needed to play better. But from the opening tip, it was night and day for Houston as they were markedly more aggressive at getting to the rim and making hard cuts and moving the ball to find the open man, which was a stark contrast from Game 1.

Much of that was a byproduct of the way Chris Paul orchestrated the offense and controlled the tempo with his creativity off the dribble. Paul finished with 16 points and six assists, and he was just one of five Rockets players in double figures for the night as Houston got a balanced effort from their supporting cast, including a career playoff high 22 points from P.J. Tucker, who shot a red-hot 5-of-6 from three-point territory, as well as 19 points from Trevor Ariza.


Kevin Durant was the only bright spot for the Warriors as he put up a game-high 38 points, but was one of just two Warriors to score in double figures. Steph Curry’s struggles continued as he started the game 0-of-5 from downtown and made just one of his eight three-point attempts overall to finish with 16 points.

Klay Thompson was a brutal 3-of-11 from long-range, while Draymond Green likewise failed to make much of an imprint on the game as he posted six points, six rebounds, and six assists.

The Warriors will have plenty of time to regroup as the series shifts back to the Bay Area for Game 3 on Sunday, which tips off at 8 p.m. ET on TNT.

×