For the Houston Rockets the season most likely comes down to this game. Win this one, and the next in Houston, and it’s a best of three series. Lose, and the Rockets need to somehow win four in a row against Golden State. Whatever happened in game one, or game two, is history. Painful, aggravating, but done. The only reasonable way forward for the 2018-19 Houston Rockets, in a season marked by both struggle and brilliance, is to win tonight in Houston. For the eager, interested and perhaps doomed, the referee assignment is: Capers, Goble, Wright and Lindsay. Goble stands out a little as the Rockets seem to have had a tough run with him reffing this season. But much of that was in the period where the Rockets were more or less awful, so it’s not by any means clear cut, and he’s not the crew chief. For the Rockets, Clint Capela needs to have a big game, James Harden needs to find Super Harden again, and the Rockets roleplayers need to play their roles to the hilt. So anyhow, let’s hope for a clear Rockets win, free of controversy, injuries and other tedious things.<doc-sep>The Houston Rockets are on the board, hanging on in overtime to secure a 126-121 win over the Golden State Warriors. The Houston Rockets breathed life into their second-round series against the Golden State Warriors with a 126-121 overtime win to make the series 2-1. James Harden led the charge with 41 points on 19-of-32 shooting from the field and 5-of-13 from three, adding nine rebounds and six assists, while Eric Gordon drained seven 3-pointers on his way to 30 points. Kevin Durant continued his red-hot form with a game-high 46 points, with all five Warriors starters scoring in double figures. The Splash Brothers struggled on the night, however, shooting a combined 33.0 percent from the field (13-of-39). Klay Thompson managed just 16 points on 6-of-16 shooting, while Steph Curry couldn't get in his rhythm, with 17 points on 7-of-23 shooting, hitting just two of his nine 3-point attempts. With the Rockets getting on the board in Game 3, here's four key takeaways from today's action... Durant and Harden put on offensive duel for the ages Kevin Durant and James Harden put on an offensive duel in Game 3, with Durant pouring in 46 points and Harden 41. Their battle came down to the wire in the overtime period and in the final minute. Harden drained the long stepback jumper to give the Rockets a 124-118 lead with 49 seconds to go before Durant knocked down three clutch free throws on the next possession. Harden responded with a floater to put the Rockets up five, sealing the win. In the third quarter, the two scorers put on a show, with Durant scoring 17 points on 3-of-6 shooting, doing the bulk of the damage at the free throw line (9-of-9) while Harden had 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting, knocking down three triples. With the Rockets taking a 91-84 lead into the fourth quarter, Durant quickly put the Warriors back on even footing, scoring 10 straight points to open the period. Amidst the back-and-forth encounter, the one-on-one matchup of these two former teammates stole the spotlight. An uncharacteristic game from Curry Stephen Curry's struggles in this series continued. He was limited to only 17 points in Game 3 on 7-for-23 shooting from the field and 2-for-9 from 3-point range. According to Tommy Beer of Rotoworld, it's the first time in Curry's career that he's taken more than 22 shots in a game and scored less than 18 points. Just an awful game for Steph Curry, who shot just 7-of-23 from the field. In fact, including the regular season and the playoffs, Curry has played in 793 NBA games. Tonight was the first time ever in his career he attempted more than 22 shots and scored fewer than 18 points - Tommy Beer (@TommyBeer) May 5, 2019 Curry did most of his damage in the first half and struggled late, combining to miss all six of his shot attempts in the fourth quarter and overtime, including an uncontested dunk in the closing seconds that would've made it a one possession game. Curry's last basket of the game came on a layup with 2:18 to play in the third quarter. Curry didn't do much else in the loss either. He finished with four assists, three rebounds and two steals, and once again dealt with foul trouble. "Just a tough night for him," Steve Kerr said afterwards of Curry's performance. Eric Gordon leads Rockets role players The Rockets are at their best when their role players are hitting shots and the supporting cast stood tall in front of their home fans in Game 3, led by Eric Gordon. Gordon set the tone with his aggression from the jump, taking over the second quarter, scoring 13 of the Rockets' 33 second-quarter points on his way to 20 first-half points, a career-high for points in a half. He finished with 30 points on 11-of-20 shooting, knocking down 7-of-14 from three, while playing lockdown defence against the Warriors backcourt. The Rockets outscored the Warriors 33-23 in the second quarter, taking control of the game. While Gordon led the charge, reserves Iman Shumpert, Nene and Austin Rivers gave them quality minutes as they built a 58-49 halftime lead. Shumpert kept it up in the third, knocking down a pair of huge triples, going 3-of-5 on the night. PJ Tucker chipped in seven points and 12 rebounds, coming up with some timely buckets in OT, while playing some great late game defence on Kevin Durant. The Rockets showed more desperation than the Warriors, getting to loose balls, fighting for offensive rebounds and clamping down on defence - and Tucker was at the heart of it. Houston outrebounded Golden State 55-35 with Tucker and Clint Capela (13 points, 11 rebounds) each hauling in five offensive boards. Draymond Green continues to shine Nobody loves playoff intensity more than Draymond Green and the Warriors forward was again at the heart of the action, continuing his postseason form with his sixth playoff career triple-double - 19 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. Draymond Green notched his sixth career triple-double in the #NBAPlayoffs - as many as every other player in Warriors team history combined. #GSWvsHOU 📊 https://t.co/WbYwbxaBzi pic.twitter.com/CgN6qEqoW5 - StatMuse (@statmuse) May 5, 2019 "He's playing at a really really high level," coach Kerr said post-game. "I thought he was fantastic tonight." Green had been awesome in three games against the Rockets, averaging 16 points, 10.7 rebounds and 8.7 assists per game on 65.5 percent shooting from the field.<doc-sep>Click here if you’re unable to view the video or gallery on your mobile device. Join us Saturday at 5:30 p.m. for live scoring, news and analysis from Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals as the Warriors and Rockets battle in Houston. Already up 2-0 in the series, the Warriors have an opportunity to squash the hopes of their biggest rival if they can continue to dominate and secure a Game 3 win at Toyota Center. But the desperate Rockets should be poised to put up a quite a fight as MVP James Harden and Chris Paul can probably be counted on for big games. The Warriors will need to continue the strong defensive effort that helped them win the first two games at Oracle. New starter Andre Iguodala, Draymond Green, Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson have been suffocating the Rockets’ offense thus far. Both teams are confident they’ll have their stars ready to go at nearly 100 percent after Stephen Curry (dislocated left middle finger) and Harden (scratched eyes) missed time in Game 2 to nurse those injuries. Curry came back and delivered some knockout blows with clutch 3-pointers in the fourth quarter. After enjoying three days off between Game 2 and Game 3, the teams will have one day off before battling on Monday night in Houston for Game 4. Like our Warriors Facebook page for more Warriors news, commentary and conversation. Here are the projected starting lineups: Warriors C Draymond Green PF Kevin Durant SF Andre Iguodala SG Klay Thompson PG Stephen Curry Rockets<doc-sep>The Houston Rockets are in a must-win situation in Game 3 vs. the Warriors. Trailing 2-0 in the series, they already have to win four out of five games, but if they go down 3-0 they're going to go from a long-shot to in need of a basketball miracle. The Rockets are at least back home and James Harden is not expected to be dealing with any vision problems stemming from the lacerated eyelid he sustained in Game 2. Below is all the information for the point spread, money line and over/under for Warriors-Rockets Game 3, with predictions for all. *All lines via Westgate Sportsbook Warriors vs Rockets ATS odds, pick Line: Rockets -3.5 Rockets -3.5 Analysis: As stated above, the Rockets are in an absolute must-win situation and that has to count for something. Each team has covered once in this series -- the Rockets in Game 1 and the Warriors in Game 2. It all adds up to a coin flip. As stated above, the Rockets are in an absolute must-win situation and that has to count for something. Each team has covered once in this series -- the Rockets in Game 1 and the Warriors in Game 2. It all adds up to a coin flip. Pick: Stay away. Warriors vs. Rockets O/U line, pick Line: 221 total points 221 total points Analysis: Game 1 went way under. Game 2 went slightly over. Steph Curry hasn't had a big game yet, neither has Chris Paul. Harden has been held completely in check and you have to figure he'll get going and perhaps get a few more calls at home. Something has to give with all these guys ready to break out. Game 1 went way under. Game 2 went slightly over. Steph Curry hasn't had a big game yet, neither has Chris Paul. Harden has been held completely in check and you have to figure he'll get going and perhaps get a few more calls at home. Something has to give with all these guys ready to break out. Pick: Over Warriors vs. Rockets money line odds, pick Odds: Rockets -170, Warriors +145 Rockets -170, Warriors +145 Analysis: If you're going to bet this, take the Warriors. I can understand trying to play it safe if you think Houston wins and you don't want to mess with the cover, but the -170 is too much of a hit for a coin clip game, which is what this is. Warriors are the value here if you want to play the money line. If you're going to bet this, take the Warriors. I can understand trying to play it safe if you think Houston wins and you don't want to mess with the cover, but the -170 is too much of a hit for a coin clip game, which is what this is. Warriors are the value here if you want to play the money line. Pick: Warriors Odds and Analysis Check Sportsline's NBA pick sheet for all your daily odds. Who wins Warriors vs. Rockets? And which side of the spread can you bank on in nearly 60 percent of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to find out which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the projection model that has crushed its NBA picks, and find out.<doc-sep>
OAKLAND, CA - APRIL 30: Danuel House Jr. #4 of the Houston Rockets gets ready to walk on the court before the game against the Golden State Warriors during Game Two of the Western Conference Semi-Finals of the 2019 NBA Playoffs on April 30, 2019 at ORACLE Arena in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) The Golden State Warriors have thoroughly controlled the Houston Rockets through the first two games of their series. Can Houston bounce back in Game 3? The Warriors have taken the first two games of their series with the Rockets, sealing Game 1 in the final few possessions with some embedded referee controversy, and Game 2 by six points, a margin that doesn’t quite reflect how in control Golden State was. The series now shifts back to Houston and the Rockets desperately need to get Game 3 to build some momentum and give themselves any chance of pulling off the upset. For the Warriors, they can rely on the dominance of Kevin Durant. Houston has made him work, but he’s put up 64 points on 47 shot attempts, seeming to come up with a big bucket every time Houston makes a push. In addition, Draymond Green is playing as well as he has all season, throwing the lob off the short roll and playing fantastic defense. The Warriors haven’t needed much from Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson yet, but they are a pretty impressive pair of aces to have up your sleeve. For Houston, Harden’s health will be a major concern. He was inadvertently raked across both eyes in Game 2 by Green and although he was able to return, the Rockets lost key minutes with him undergoing evaluation in the locker room. Reports are that he won’t have any vision problems in Game 3 but we won’t know for sure until the shots starting going up. Below is everything you’ll need to watch Game 3. Date: Saturday, May 4 Time: 8:30 p.m. ET Location: Houston, TX Venue: Toyota Center TV Info: ESPN Live Stream: Qualified subscribers can watch on the WatchESPN app. If the Rockets can pull off a Game 3 win, this series can stay competitive. If not, the Warriors’ path to another title gets a bit easier.