The final score of 115-86 doesn't show it, but there was a moment in Game 6 where the Warriors appeared to be in legitimate danger. The Rockets were rolling, James Harden was scoring and Golden State couldn't stop anything. At halftime, Houston led by 10 points thanks to 11 makes from 3-point range. The Warriors only had four.
The second half flipped the script. Golden State moved away from the Kevin Durant isolation sets and put the ball back into the hands of Stephen Curry. The result was a product that people have expected of the Warriors for quite some time: 3-point shooting, and a relentless attack that eventually overwhelms their opponent. Golden State finished with 16 makes from deep.
Despite James Harden having 32 points, the Rockets just couldn't do enough to slow down Curry's 29 points and Thompson's 35 points. The splash bros came through in a big way in the second half and now both teams will head back to Houston for a winner takes all Game 7.
Game 6: Warriors 115, Rockets 86
James Harden finally broke his streak of 3-point misses in Game 6. Going back to Game 4, Harden had 22 straight missed 3-pointers. It took him three tries on Saturday night before he finally hit one, and you could tell from his reaction that he was just happy to finally have one go down.
After a rough start to the game it looked like the Rockets might run away with Game 6. The Warriors were struggling to hit shots and Houston was running the floor with no problems. Then, Kevin Durant decided he was sick of that.
Durant followed up his block with a sick crossover on Harden followed by a bounce pass for an easy two points. This was the exact response the Warriors were looking for.
In the second half, the Warriors came out and started draining shots from 3-point range. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson sent a reminder to everybody on why they're called the Splash Brothers:
Steph knocks down the trey to give the Dubs the lead! 💦
📺 @NBAonTNT pic.twitter.com/VFDf39VJbY — Golden State Warriors (@warriors) May 27, 2018
Steph finds Klay in the corner for the splash! 💦
📺 @NBAonTNT pic.twitter.com/ZPquGgRszV — Golden State Warriors (@warriors) May 27, 2018
However, James Harden got his step back game going and started to cook a little. The Warriors can try to slow him down as much as possible, but if he's hitting these shots then there's just nothing a defense can do about it.
In the fourth quarter, Mike D'Antoni tried to spare some rest for James Harden. The results were not ideal for the Rockets. Curry and Thompson continued their assault on the Rockets defense and before you could blink the game was pretty much over. The Warriors ran away with it and forced a Game 7.
NBA Playoffs 2018 bracket
Igor Mello/CBS Sports
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The Warriors had their backs against the wall in Game 6. They were down double-digit points, not playing well, and a loss would put an end to their season. That's when Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson came alive They got hot from 3-point range, the Rockets ran out of gas, and Golden State ran away with a victory. The splash bros finished the game with a combined 64 points making the 32 points James Harden scored feel pointless. The Warriors did what they needed to do. Survive.
Now, the two teams will head back to Houston for a winner takes all Game 7. The Rockets played Game 6 without Chris Paul due to a hamstring injury and Andre Iguodala hasn't played since Game 4 due to knee soreness. This series could be decided on the health of these two players in Game 7. If either of them returns that would be a huge boost.
No. 1 Houston Rockets vs. No. 2 Golden State Warriors
Playoff series schedule
Regular-season series: Houston, 2-1
Last season's playoff results: Rockets eliminated by San Antonio Spurs 4-2 in second round; Warriors won NBA Finals.
Injury Report: Chris Paul (hamstring) did not play in Game 6. Andre Iguodala (knee) did not play in Game 6.
Rockets' projected starting lineup: G Chris Paul; G James Harden; F Trevor Ariza; F P.J. Tucker; C Clint Capela
Warriors' projected starting lineup: G Stephen Curry; G Klay Thompson; F Andre Iguodala; F Kevin Durant; F Draymond Green
Rockets win if ...
They keep on shooting like the best shooting team in the NBA and Harden plays like the best player in the series. The thing about playing the Warriors is that you have to work incredibly hard to keep pace with their scoring. The Rockets are perhaps the only team in the NBA legitimately equipped to do that. With Paul, Harden and Ariza, they have three guys that can shoot, alongside Paul's facilitation of the offense. They'll also need to temper the indeterminable impact of Green for the Warriors, who has spent a lot of time facilitating for Golden State this postseason, and do what the Pelicans couldn't and find a solution for Durant.
Warriors win if ...
They're able to flip home court early in this series. With 15 consecutive wins at Oracle, the Warriors' crowd has a way of making runs cascade. The Pelicans learned that first-hand. Golden State also needs to keep on dominating the third quarter. This team is the best third-quarter team in the NBA, and that needs to continue. The final key is to keep Harden off the line. Every team gets frustrated with Harden's free-throw attempt numbers, so the onus will be on Green and, to a lesser extent, Durant to limit him. Thompson keeping Harden on the perimeter will be a huge part of this series.
SportsLine projections
According to SportsLine data scientist Stephen Oh, the Warriors have a 66.7 percent chance of winning the series. SportsLine will have game-by-game gambling advice for every playoff series here.
2018 NBA Playoff Bracket
Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press
The Houston Rockets may have home-court advantage, but they will enter Game 7 of the 2018 Western Conference Finals as underdogs to the star-studded Golden State Warriors.
According to OddsShark, Golden State is a five-point favorite for Monday night's winner-take-all showdown.
Houston (65-17) earned the No. 1 seed by posting the best record in the NBA during the regular season, also going a league-leading 34-7 at home. They are 7-2 at the Toyota Center this postseason, having lost Game 1 to Golden State while winning Games 2 and 5.
Even though they finished seven games above the Warriors in the regular season, the Rockets are underdogs for several reasons. For starters, they are facing the defending champions, who trot out four All-Stars and two former NBA MVPs. Not only that, but it's unclear if Chris Paul—who missed Game 6 with a hamstring injury—will be able to play on Monday.
The road to the Finals physically goes through Houston, but Vegas has it going through the Warriors.
