Speights sparks comeback, but Warriors fall 97-96
[...] none of them could push James Harden and Houston to the brink of playoff elimination.
Harden scored 35 points, including a clutch 10-foot jumper in the lane with 2.7 seconds left, and the Rockets escaped with a 97-96 victory at Toyota Center.
Asked if he was optimistic about playing Sunday, as he walked out of the locker room late Thursday night, Curry offered a thin smile and replied, “I’ve been optimistic about the last two, so your guess is as good as mine.”
The Warriors, who trailed by 17 points late in the second quarter, were down one when Livingston stole Trevor Ariza’s errant inbounds pass with 14 seconds left.
On the court, Iguodala appeared to complain about Harden possibly pushing off, but he changed his tune in the locker room.
The Rockets outplayed the Warriors most of the night — dramatically so for stretches — and yet Golden State, astonishingly, was right there in the fourth quarter.
The Warriors made another move — including Clark’s floater in the lane for a 94-93 lead at 1:03, the team’s first advantage since 2-0 — but ultimately the Rockets held serve.
Head coach Steve Kerr had expected the Rockets to discover fresh energy with the series moving to Houston, and that’s exactly what happened.
Even center Dwight Howard, so listless for long stretches in the first two games, seemed rejuvenated.
Howard twice leaped into the air to turn gentle alley-oop passes into resounding dunks, invigorating the home crowd.
Festus Ezeli went up strong on one play, trying to dunk, but Howard cleanly and emphatically rejected the shot.
All the while, the Warriors sputtered on offense, struggled on the boards (outrebounded 30-20 in the first half) and too often left shooters open on the perimeter.
The Rockets stretched their advantage to 53-36 when Harden drained a long three-pointer with 4:26 left before halftime.
Speights carried the offense, scoring 14 points in the second quarter alone, including 3-for-3 from long distance, to spark the Warriors.