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The Golden State Warriors are headed to the 2015 NBA Finals for the first time in 40 years after beating the Houston Rockets 104-90 in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals.
Harrison Barnes came up big in the fourth quarter to score 13 of his beautiful 24 points (and was headed toward a game-high until Stephen Curry hit 26 with a bunch of late-game free throws) as the Warriors pulled away to put away the Rockets.
Harrison Barnes in Game 5 @warriors 1st 3 Quarters: 11pts, 5/10 FGAs 4th Quarter: 13pts, 5/10 FGAs pic.twitter.com/eZA2mCdrcL
— NBA.com/Stats (@nbastats) May 28, 2015
This also happened in the fourth quarter, which I thoroughly enjoyed.
James Harden’s 12 turnovers are an all-time Playoff record. pic.twitter.com/T3qY19W5O9
— SLAM Magazine (@SLAMonline) May 28, 2015
James Harden cooks up a baker's dozen turnovers...
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) May 28, 2015
Golden State got a bit of a scare in the third quarter as the fouls started to pile up with the Warriors committing 11 team fouls. Klay Thompson picked up his fifth foul on a really careless swipe at a driving James Harden while Leandro Barbosa and Harrison Barnes both picked up their fourth fouls.
Perhaps something to watch moving forward is Andrew Bogut's health, which is the type of bad luck the Warriors have avoided for the vast majority of the season. Bogut clearly came down from a spectacular blocked layup in the second half wincing after his right hand hit the backboard hard. Rusty Simmons of the S.F. Chronicle noted late in the game that it appeared to be a lingering problem.
Andrew Bogut gives all left-handed high fives to his teammates. Something is not right with his right hand.
— Rusty Simmons (@Rusty_SFChron) May 28, 2015
The Warriors have now advanced to the 2015 NBA Finals where LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers await them for a matchup that ESPN has been waiting for.
For more on the game — including a brief summary of the first half — check out our Game 5 storystream.