(Reuters) The Golden State Warriors were blown out in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals, but Steph Curry isn’t worried about it carrying over into the rest of the series.
The Houston Rockets overcame a Game 1 loss to blitz the Warriors 127-105 on Wednesday night, thanks to big efforts from a pair of role players.
Eric Gordon scored 27 points off the bench, connecting on 6 of 9 3-point attempts, while P.J. Tucker chipped in a postseason career-high 22 points on 5-of-6 shooting from behind the arc. Rockets star James Harden finished with 27 points and 10 rebounds after scoring 41 in the Game 1 loss.
With the series headed to Oakland, Curry said the Warriors would keep their cool.
“No panic,” Curry said after Game 2. “No houses-on-fire type of mentality in our locker room. We’re in pretty good shape right now.”
Part of the reason for his optimism is teammate Kevin Durant.
Durant scored a game-high 38 points on 13-of-22 shooting and kept the Warriors within range with 18 points in the third quarter. The Warriors’ other four starters combined for 35 points.
“He has been amazing,” said Curry, who scored just 16 points on Wednesday after putting up 18 in Game 1. “I think we all need to feed off that focus and that determination. If he can continue to do what he does, I’ll shoot the ball better and play better defense, other guys will get involved and we’ll be in great shape.”
One thing the Warriors will have to concentrate on is shutting down Houston’s fast-break offense.
The Rockets, who recorded just three fast-break points in Game 1, responded with a concerted attempt to run early and often in Game 2. The Rockets had seven points in transition in the first quarter alone and repeatedly attacked the Warriors early in the shot clock, preventing Golden State from setting up its stifling defense.
“We just played at a better pace,” said Rockets guard Chris Paul, who scored 16 points. “A lot of that was helped, too, that we got stops. We defended better, we got out in transition, we still played our (isolations) when we had them. We just played with a little bit more thrust.
“For the most part, it was a frustrating night all around,” Curry said. “They made some adjustments, got other guys involved and made plays. That’s kind of how a series like this is going to be. Game after game is going to be a chess match. Tonight we just didn’t make enough plays to stop the momentum that was building, and that was the difference in the game.”
Game 3 will be tomorrow at 3 p.m. ET in Oakland, Calif.
