NBA Playoffs | Rockets blow out Warriors in Western Conference Finals Game Two

KEVIN Durant was force-fed a taste of what James Harden went through as the Western Conference Finals took a sharp turn.

• Turnovers key to turnaround
• JR Smith to escape punishment

Live: NBA Playoffs

The Rockets responded like a top seed should in game two of the Western Conference Finals.

THE Houston Rockets bounced back with a vengeance, powering past the NBA champion Golden State Warriors 127-105 to level their Western Conference finals series at one game apiece.

Houston’s Most Valuable Player candidate James Harden scored 27 points and Eric Gordon added 27 off the bench as five players scored in double figures for a Rockets team chastened by a 119-106 series-opening defeat on their home floor on Monday.

“Total team effort,” Harden said. “We played harder and smarter than game one. That was the only difference.”

The Rockets signalled their intentions early. Their seven fast-break points in the opening quarter more than doubled the three they mustered in all of game one.

Houston connected on 3/10 from three-point range in the first period while the Warriors were 0/7 and coughed up seven turnovers.

Up 26-21 after one quarter, the Rockets wouldn’t trail from there. They led 64-50 by halftime, with four players already in double figures.

Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni said there was no major change in strategy — just more intensity and better execution from a Houston team that led the league with 65 regular-season wins.

“We played harder, we got into them,” D’Antoni said. “We didn’t have that same intensity in that first game. Our guys are great, they learned from it, snapped back and did the job.”

Kevin Durant led the Warriors with 38 points, but Stephen Curry was the only other Golden State player in double figures with 16.

Kevin Durant goes to work against James Harden. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Curry connected on just seven of 19 shots from the floor, making just one of eight three-point attempts.

Overall the Warriors were just nine of 30 from three-point range. They finished the game with 15 turnovers — 11 of those coming before halftime, by which time most of the damage was done.

PJ Tucker, who scored just one point in game one, scored 14 of his 22 points in the first half for Houston. Trevor Ariza, another who struggled in game one, added 19 points and Chris Paul scored 16 for the Rockets.

“Defensively we were more aggressive. We were smarter,” said Harden, whose Rockets travel to Oakland for game three on Sunday with renewed confidence.

“We still made some mistakes that we can get better at. We know how tough it is to win (at Golden State) but we’re ready for it.”

The winners of the series will face either the Cleveland Cavaliers or Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals. The Celtics lead the Eastern Conference finals 2-0.

10.15am

Simmons confirmed as ROY finalist

NBA announces finalists as voted by writers and broadcasters for six awards to be given at the second annual gala, June 25 pic.twitter.com/HGLbRSIqLn

— Jerry Zgoda (@JerryZgoda) May 17, 2018

It’s hardly a surprise but Ben Simmons, Donovan Mitchell and Jayson Tatum are the finalists in the NBA’s Rookie of the Year award.

The trio enjoyed standout seasons in what’s been hailed as one of the finest rookie classes in years.

In other categories, James Harden, LeBron James and Anthony Davis have been short-listed for MVP and Victor Oladipo, Clint Capela and Spencer Dinwiddie will vie for most-improved.

9.30am

Bucks settle on new coach

Former Atlanta coach Mike Budenholzer is trading up. Budenholzer parted ways with the Eastern Conference battlers in April and will now take over in Milwaukee — a team that made the playoffs and has star Giannis Antetokounmpo to build around.

9am

JR to escape further sanction

Cleveland Cavaliers guard JR Smith will not face discipline from the NBA for his hard foul on Boston Celtics forward Al Horford in Game Two of the Eastern Conference finals, according to a report from ESPN.

Smith shoved an airborne Horford on a drive to the basket late in the fourth quarter.

“It was a good call,” Smith said. “I blatantly pushed him. It wasn’t like I was trying to low-bridge him or something to make sure he didn’t get it. It was a good, hard foul.”

Marcus Smart and Smith exchanged shoves after the incident and had to be separated, with each player being whistled for a technical foul.

“Al is a defenceless person. He’s in the air. He can’t control how his body goes, and he’s not even looking. And you go and take two hands to the back; that’s a dirty shot. You just can’t allow that to keep happening,” said Smart.

The Celtics lead the series 2-0. Game 3 is Sunday (AEST) in Cleveland.

— Reuters

Originally published as NBA Playoffs | Rockets blow out Warriors in Western Conference Finals Game Two