The most prolific shooter in NBA history made just three of his 20 three-point attempts through two-and-a-half games of the Western Conference Finals.

But great shooters always find a way out of slumps, and great doesn’t even begin to describe Stephen Curry’s third quarter Sunday night. The Warriors’ superstar point guard dazzled Oracle Arena to the tune of 18 points on perfect seven for seven shooting in the third quarter en route to a game-high 35 points, and the Golden State Warriors blew out the Houston Rockets 126-85 to take a 2-1 series lead in the Western Conference Finals.

The first half featured a lot of missed shots…

Houston scored eight of the first 12 points, with four apiece coming from Clint Capela and Trevor Ariza. The Rockets set a variety of perimeter screens trying to get Curry isolated defensively, and it led to multiple high-quality looks around the run. The Warriors came right back with a 9-0 run ignited by a three from Curry. Klay Thompson then finished a layup off the dribble and Kevin Durant and Andre Iguodala both scored at the rim off Houston turnovers to go up 13-8.

The two teams remained locked within a couple of possessions before the hosts surged ahead on an 11-0 run to close the quarter. Houston didn’t score for the final 4:04 of the quarter — most of which was played without James Harden — and trailed 31-22 at the end of one period.

The Rockets’ cold shooting carried over to the second quarter. The Rockets missed several good looks at the rim and shot an abysmal six of 20 from the floor, which left them in a world of hurt. While both teams struggled from deep in the first half — the Rockets were four for 15, the Warriors four for 18 — it was the shooting inside the arc that was the difference. The Warriors shot 16 for 29 from two while the Rockets were 11 for 38, with lots of those misses in the paint. The hosts led 54-43 at the break.

The Rockets and the Warriors both struggled from the field in the first half. (via nba.com) More

The Warriors’ incredible third-quarter dominance continues, thanks to Stephen Curry…

The Warriors have been the league’s best third-quarter team for four consecutive years, and they very much looked the part in the opening minutes of Sunday night’s third period. The Warriors went on a 10-0 run to open the second half, and the Rockets countered with a 10-2 run of their own. Golden State finished the period on a 22-14 run behind Curry’s absolutely sterling performance. The shoulder shimmies and the screams to the crowd were reminiscent of the form that made him a back-to-back MVP.

.@StephenCurry30 ERUPTS to drop 18 of his 27 PTS in the 3rd quarter alone! #NBAPlayoffs | #DubNation pic.twitter.com/wxNDXHMgR3 — NBA TV (@NBATV) May 21, 2018





The Warriors led 88-67 at the end of three and cruised home from there, outscoring the Rockets 38-18 in the final quarter to deal them their worst playoff loss in franchise history. It’s also the largest postseason win in Warriors franchise history.

The Rockets need more out of James Harden and Chris Paul…

Paul and Harden — the backcourt duo that powered the Rockets to the league’s best record behind isolation-heavy offense — combined for just 33 points on 32 shots. That’s simply not good enough to beat or even play with the defending champs. Paul is now five for 20 from deep this series and Harden is 10 for 30. That’s a major issue for a team that runs the most isolation-heavy offense in NBA history. On the other end, there were multiple lapses during the game’s decisive third quarter. Shaun Livingston blowing by Harden for an emphatic dunk early in the fourth was emblematic of the game as a whole.





Houston head coach Mike D’Antoni admitted his team was “soft,” and against the Warriors, soft is not an option.

The Houston bench needs to be more consistent…

The Rockets count on their guards heavily to be able to beat their man and score or distribute in a variety of ways. Harden and Paul were terrific at that all year, and role players such as defensive standouts Trevor Ariza and PJ Tucker, terrific scorer Eric Gordon and incredible athlete Gerald Green have fit their exact roles well alongside the All-Star guards. But those four combined to shoot just 11 for 34. Gordon, who was outstanding in the Game 2 victory, shot three for 14 and was a game-worst minus-33. Green was just three for 10. Luc Mbah a Moute was minus-28 in just 15 minutes of game action. The Rockets need better contributions from everyone. It starts with Harden and Paul, but it finishes with the role players being better, too.

Story continues