Warriors rally past Rockets in series opener

Associated Press

OAKLAND, Calif.

Stephen Curry hit two free throws in the final seconds to finish with 34 points, and the Golden State Warriors rallied from 16 points down in the second quarter to beat the Houston Rockets 110-106 on Tuesday night in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals.

With the Rockets seemingly ready to rout the home team, the Warriors went to a smaller lineup and closed the first half on a 21-4 run. Shaun Livingston scored 14 of his 18 points in the quarter, helping Golden State go ahead 58-55 at halftime.

The Warriors held off Houston in the final minute of the fourth.

James Harden, the runner-up to Curry in the MVP voting, nearly brought the Rockets back after Dwight Howard departed with a left knee injury. Harden finished with 28 points, 11 rebounds, nine assists and four steals.

Game 2 is Thursday night in Oakland.

Harden, serenaded with chants of “Over-rated!” from Warriors fans, mixed in a series of step-back jumpers and driving layups to help Houston even the score at 95-all midway through the fourth.

But the Warriors shut down Houston for long stretches, and Curry kept hitting shots. He connected on a 3-pointer and converted a layup to put Golden State up 108-97 with 2:01 remaining.

The Rockets never relented, though, with Trevor Ariza making a 3-pointer that trimmed the Warriors’ lead to 108-106 with 14.6 seconds to play.

Curry twice caught the inbounds pass, and the Rockets were forced to foul him both times. He hit both free throws to seal Golden State’s win.

Curry added six rebounds and five assists, and Green had 13 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists to boost the Warriors when they needed it most.

Ariza scored 20 points and Josh Smith had 17 points and seven rebounds for Houston, which played without Howard for most of the fourth. The center’s status moving forward is unclear.