The Golden State Warriors were able to hold down their home court for a 1-0 series lead against the Houston Rockets after two disappointments at Oracle Arena in the previous series against the L.A. Clippers. A close game throughout, this 104-100 win had it all: tough competition, a game-winning dagger, and drama — lots of drama. These are 5 Clutch Points from Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals: A wild end to an ugly game While gripping and entertaining, Game 1 was ugly to its core for those that love the ebb and flow of a basketball game. The Warriors and Rockets combined for a total of 45 fouls in regulation (four technicals), including 56 combined trips to the free-throw line. Choppy at best. However, what it lacked in organic flow, Game 1 made up for with pyrotechnics in the finishing moments, including some late-game back-and-forths, a dagger 3-pointer, and some very late drama that included Chris Paul’s ejection with 4.4 seconds left in regulation. Let’s recap a wild series of events. The Warriors opened up a nine-point lead early in the fourth quarter, but the Rockets kept it close, first making use of Eric Gordon’s barreling style of play to get easy buckets inside while James Harden took a rest. It would be Gordon again making things close, hitting a wing three with 2:40 left to reduce the deficit to 96-94. The Warriors kept going to the well, feeding Kevin Durant, who nailed a one-legger over Chris Paul. Tough shot from KD pic.twitter.com/EmLWIHR45N — Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) April 28, 2019 Then Durant scored again over Harden to give the Warriors some cushion. Tough shot from KD pic.twitter.com/EmLWIHR45N — Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) April 28, 2019 Stephen Curry, who had battled foul trouble for most of the second half, delivered a clutch-time stop on Harden, forcing the reigning MVP to step out of bounds as he waited for The Beard to take a step back. James Harden stepped back…. All the way out of bounds 😬 pic.twitter.com/Pgh5Ois6Ko — Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) April 28, 2019 Boasting a 100-95 lead, Harden was fouled on a drive to the basket, once again cutting the Warriors’ lead to two. Curry then made his greatest offensive contribution, nailing a wing 3-point dagger that put this game to bed. The play ultimately set up what was the most controversial part of this game — fouling (or not fouling) jump shooters. Foul or no foul? The theme of this game revolved around the number of dangerously contested 3-point attempts. The Rockets made 14 threes in Game 1, but attempted 47 of their 74 field goals beyond the arc (63.5% of their total shots). This controversy became even more pertinent in the last seconds of the game, when James Harden took a potential game-tying three, which was closely contested by Draymond Green. Harden fell to the ground, hoping to get a foul call from the officials, but to no avail. Swing (of the legs) and a miss pic.twitter.com/mCeBNA0K7z — Dieter Kurtenbach (@dkurtenbach) April 28, 2019 This was one of many plays in which Harden intended to draw fouls by kicking his legs. As retired referee Steve Javie explained during the game, there is an imaginary circle under a player who rises up for a jump shot. However, Harden often extends that circle by leaning his lower body forward when he feels a player will closely challenge his shot, as illustrated below. Harden hops forward a significant distance as well as kicks his legs out on his shots. Do they not take that into consideration? If not things could get weird. pic.twitter.com/E5OGg3oLIs — TheWarriorsTalk (@TheWarriorsTalk) April 28, 2019 Javie also explained that when a player often tries to sell the contact in every possible instance, an official will be wary of this throughout the game, often not awarding him the benefit of the doubt. Harden did get fouled on a few of these plays, but he also wasn’t on plenty of others. This game was one that didn’t favor him much besides a first-quarter call on a 3-point attempt; he often tried to exploit that potential call. Harden’s rep is actually hurting him on these non calls. He falls down so much that they are ignoring the contact. I say it every year but Harden has playoff games where the officiating crew doesn’t give him calls. — Russillo (@ryenarussillo) April 28, 2019 The Warriors are known for playing a gambit defense, one that relies on fast closeouts, an angle not only Harden, but others such as Chris Paul, have tried to exploit. No one deserves to get this call. pic.twitter.com/oNP3Co8qvC — Russillo (@ryenarussillo) April 28, 2019 Game 1 favored the Warriors in this realm of competition, but Golden State would be wise to watch out on these wild shot contests if it wants to keep the Rockets off the foul line. Draymond Green, an opportunist Green had another stellar game after a rousing effort to close out the first-round series against the L.A. Clippers. The undersized 6-foot-7 forward started at center on Sunday and notched a cool 14 points on 7-of-9 shooting, with nine rebounds and nine assists — a near-triple-double effort that sparked the Warriors’ offense throughout his 40 minutes of action. The former Defensive Player of the Year was a stalwart on defense while picking his spots on offense, which led to an efficient night. His first bucket came off a back-cut and a delivery from Andre Iguodala, a sign that his heady play was on full display. His offensive contributions are more vital than ever, given that most teams have already written him off as a potential scorer and often leave him open in several situations. 💪 @Money23Green (14 PTS, 9 REB, 9 AST) does a little bit of everything to help the @warriors prevail in Game 1! #StrengthInNumbers #NBAPlayoffs Game 2: Tuesday (4/30), 10:30pm/et, TNT pic.twitter.com/viyRAVEaWJ — NBA (@NBA) April 28, 2019 Green even took and made a couple of mid-range jump shots, which will boost the confidence of the Warriors’ primary playmaker. If he hits these types of shots with regularity, it will unlock other parts of his game, including his alley-oop plays with Kevin Durant, Kevon Looney, Andrew Bogut and Iguodala. Also worth mentioning: Green looks much more limber than he did two months ago. The 20-plus pounds he lost under his new eating regimen have given him a stark contrast in mobility and magnified his knack for pushing the ball in transition. This version of Draymond Green was often the catalyst for previous championship teams, and if he can keep up this torrid pace throughout the series, the Rockets will be in trouble. Stephen Curry: In trouble again Foul trouble, that is. Yes. Again. The Warriors’ point guard picked up his third foul in the first 19 seconds of the third quarter, only to pick up his fourth with 4:34 left in the period, once again playing the good ol’ trust game with coach Steve Kerr. Kerr yanked him immediately, trusting Kevin Durant to carry on as the featured scorer for the rest of the quarter. Curry went back in to start the fourth quarter, but picked up his fifth on a reach at the 8:12 mark, only to come back a minute and a half later. Kerr later chided his two-time MVP in his postgame presser, noting he called for his mother, Sonya, to tell him to stop fouling, something that has been a theme throughout his career. “I asked him, I said ‘Steph where is your mom?,'” said Kerr. “He pointed about 10 rows behind the bench and I looked up and I made eye contact with Sonya and said ‘tell him not to foul anymore.’ “If his mom can’t get through him, I definitely can’t get through him. Maybe try (his father) Dell next time.” Steve Kerr mused hes running out of solutions on minimizing Steph’s foul trouble pic.twitter.com/j2emYUyeou — Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) April 28, 2019 Curry vowed to get his fouling situation figured out, but this is the fifth occurrence in seven playoff games, and at one point I question whether it’s just a trend, or who he has become after developing these lazy habits. Chess match: Check Much as he did in Game 6 of the first-round series against the L.A. Clippers, Steve Kerr made another lineup change, this time trotting out his Hamptons 5 lineup by putting in Andre Iguodala at small forward to start the game. In any other year, this would have been considered Kerr’s checkmate move and one he would save for the NBA Finals, yet the Golden State coach’s often-hailed “death lineup” isn’t really his best five this season. Kerr revealed his best formation minutes into the first quarter, taking Iguodala out and putting in Kevon Looney, who has had a tremendous impact for the Warriors despite playing fewer than 20 minutes in each of his playoff games this year. The fourth-year big man made his impact felt almost instantly, getting back-to-back-to-back buckets in the first quarter, a 6-0 personal scoring run to give the Warriors a 22-19 lead. Most importantly, his defense on James Harden was nothing short of stellar, making smart, fundamental contests of his shots, despite being as heavily targeted as he was during the Western Conference Finals last year. Kevon Looney's defense on James Harden 🔥 pic.twitter.com/5VnhR91A5b — Chris Montano (@gswchris) April 28, 2019 Looney might be a big man, but he is spry of foot and immensely long, giving the Warriors another lengthy defender to throw at Harden as he hunts for mismatches. Besides this silly foul call on a Harden wrist-wrap, Looney made the most of his minutes and provided the secret spark Kerr was hoping for. 🎵 Hold… my… hand. I want you to hold my hand 🎵 pic.twitter.com/A4f7BdlB2Y — Dieter Kurtenbach (@dkurtenbach) April 28, 2019 Don’t be fooled, there will be more of where that came from in due time. Looney will be as big an impact player as any for the Warriors this series, especially if this lineup takes yet another vital member from the bench to fortify the starting five. Sometimes the best moves are the ones made with a slight bit of deception.<doc-sep>OAKLAND, Calif. -- Golden State Warriors superstar Kevin Durant is in the midst of one of the greatest postseason runs of his storied career. The 30-year-old forward continued his brilliant stretch by scoring 35 points and grabbing five rebounds in a 104-100 win over the Houston Rockets in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals on Sunday. Durant's recent play drew a comparison to Warriors coach Steve Kerr's former teammate with the Chicago Bulls: Michael Jordan. "There's this guy named Michael something," Kerr said as the assembled media chuckled. "Can't remember his last name. No, but Kevin's run this past week has just been off the charts. I've said it a few times this week: He's the most skilled basketball player on Earth. He's one of the most skilled basketball players to ever play the game. There's never been anybody like him. Six-[foot]-11, handles the ball, shoots 3s, passes, defends. He's just an unbelievable talent. And I think after we lost Game 2 to the Clippers, I think he just felt like he had to turn it up and lift us up another level. That's exactly what he's done." Durant, who is averaging 40.2 points in his past five games, including 50 points in Friday's Game 6 series clincher against the LA Clippers, is dominating at a level that is leaving his teammates and coaches a bit in awe. "He's playing great right now," Warriors forward Draymond Green said. "He's being extremely aggressive, and when he's being aggressive as he's being, I don't think there's anyone in the NBA, maybe the world, that can stop him. So when he's being aggressive like that, that's always a positive for us. It's a challenge for the opposing team." For his part, Durant is taking his recent play in stride. He was confident throughout the season in his ability to take over games when his team needed him to do so. His recent play hasn't come as a surprise to him. "I try not to compare," Durant said. "Each stop along the journey has been -- I've just been tailor-made for the moment, I guess. I learned a lot so far as a player up until this point, so I think I'm starting to put everything together on both sides of the ball. I'm not looking at points or shots that I get up, just how focused I am for each possession." Durant and the Warriors head into Game 2 on Tuesday buoyed by the fact that they found a way to win despite both Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson coming into the game with sprained right ankle injuries. With the All-Star backcourt feeling better and expected to get more treatment on Monday, the Warriors feel good knowing that the rest of their weapons will be healthier and will give Durant even more space to operate. "He has been amazing," Curry said of Durant. "He's been so aggressive on the offense end. Found his matchups, taking his shots. Defensively he's been present. He just understands kind of what we need when we need it. And he's been playing with the ultimate confidence. I know he always has confidence, but it seems like it's been amped up in these last five games."<doc-sep>
Click here if you’re unable to view the photo gallery on your mobile device. OAKLAND — The game looked ugly amid all the stops and whistles, but Kevin Durant made the game look beautiful. The Rockets tried to muck the game up with a switch-heavy scheme, while James Harden hunted foul shots. The Rockets tried to limit Stephen Curry with foul trouble. The Rockets tried to make Klay Thompson passive less than 48 hours after nursing a sprained right ankle. Just as it has been for most of his 12-year NBA career, however, Durant still found a way to exert his scoring dominance against a Rockets team determined to stop him. The Warriors cemented a 104-100 win over the Houston Rockets in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals on Sunday at Oracle Arena mostly because of Durant. He had 35 points while going 11-of-25 from the field and 12-of-15 from the free-throw line. He also tied a career –best for scoring at least 30 points in five consecutive playoff games. And when assessing the historical significance of all this, Warriors coach Steve Kerr promptly put Durant’s name in the record books along with a notable NBA legend. “There was this guy named Michael something,” Kerr said. “I can’t remember his last name.” Yes, he could. Kerr won three NBA championships with Michael Jordan, who remains fifth on the NBA’s all-time scoring list (32,292 points). As for Durant (3,991), he surpassed Larry Bird for 11th place on the NBA’s all-time post-season scoring list as well as Wilt Chamberlain for fifth place on the Warriors’ all-time post-season scoring list. “He’s the most skilled basketball player on Earth,” Kerr said of Durant. “He’s one of the most skilled basketball players ever to play the game. There’s never been anybody like him.” Klay Thompson subscribes. You can too for just 11 cents a day for 11 months + receive a free Warriors Championship book. Sign me up! With his near 7-foot-frame and long wingspan, Durant offered a blend of his usual pull-ups and fadeaways along the post and elbows. Durant also attacked the rim and finished with either dunks or trips to the free-throw line. Once he fulfilled that usual job description, Durant cemented his best five-game post-season stretch since the 2017 NBA Finals when he scored at least 30 points in five games before winning his first league title and Finals MVP. After scoring at least 20 points for 35 consecutive playoff games, Durant is five games shy from matching his highest playoff scoring stretch with the Oklahoma City Thunder (2011-14). “It’s hard to compare. Each stop along the journey has just been tailor-made for the moment,” Durant said. “You learn a lot so far as a player up to this point. So I think I’m starting to put everything together.” When Durant joined the Warriors as a free agent in the 2016 offseason, it did not take long for him to put everything together. After all, he collected two NBA championships and two Finals MVP’s, while blending his scoring with Curry and Thompson. When the Warriors met the Houston Rockets in last year’s Western Conference Finals, though, Durant faced a switch-heavy scheme that prompted Durant to score in isolation. The approach worked in Games 1 and 2 with an average of 37.5 points on 55.1 percent shooting. With the Rockets’ persistent switches coinciding with Andre Iguodala’s left knee injury, Durant shot inefficiently in Game 4 (9-of-24), Game 5 (8-of-22) and Game 6 (6-of-17). Durant hardly faced such problems against Houston in Game 1 on Sunday. Instead, Stephen Curry observed that Durant played “with the ultimate confidence.” “He’s being extremely aggressive,” Draymond Green said. “When he’s being aggressive as he has been, I don’t think there’s anyone in the NBA, or maybe the world, that can stop him.” And to think, Kerr had prodded Durant just about two weeks ago to take more shots and to play with more aggression. Durant had spent the last five regular-season games in April playing a distributing role, averaging 17.6 points on only 10.2 field-goal attempts while dishing out seven assists per game. The Warriors embraced this role since it tied into their ball-movement heavy system. After Durant recorded more turnovers (nine) than shots (eight) in a Game 2 loss to the Clippers in their first-round series, though, Kerr reacted differently. He called for him to take between 20 to 30 shot, while playing with more aggressively.