Warriors vs. Rockets, Game 6 final score: Steph Curry scores 33 to break Houston’s spirit in 118-113 win

The Golden State Warriors notched one of the greatest postseason wins in their five-year dynastic run with a 118-113 win on the road against the flopping hated feisty Houston Rockets in Game 6 of the second round.

The Warriors went to Houston knowing that the injured Kevin Durant would be out; they started the game with Andrew Bogut starting in his place. Steph Curry was quickly forced to the bench after picking up two early fouls in a game that was officiated tightly. Draymond Green was forced to take a seat near the end of the first quarter with two fouls of his own.

And yet, with Curry scoreless and in foul trouble, the game was somehow tied at 42 in the middle of the second quarter. After Curry went to the bench with a third foul, the terribly short-handed Warriors found themselves up eight points with under five minutes left in the first half.

There will be plenty more written about the why’s and the how’s of how the Warriors hung in this one to ultimately win. For now, let’s just sit with the fact that the Warriors were ever up eight in this game on the road against a team that spent a year lamenting their loss in the conference finals and was gift wrapped this game with Kevin Durant out.

That in and of itself is noteworthy.

The fact that they won this game by five points — after some fouls and free throws near the end — is easily among the most amazing feats the team has accomplished in their recent run of postseason success. Against a Rockets franchise more than willing to make excuses for their performances from top to bottom, the Warriors refused to do so and just stepped up to seize the opportunity they were given.

And despite an uneven performance, it was Steph Curry who embodied the spirit of this victorious performance for the Warriors.

Curry scores 33 in the second half

Those of us that know anything about Steph Curry knew that he wasn’t going to go out with a whimper in Houston when his team needed him in a closeout game.

He didn’t disappoint.

After failing to score in the first half, Curry scored 33 points on 9-for-15 shooting in the second half, including a mind blowing 23 points in the fourth quarter.

Perhaps people will finally stop making the ridiculous claim that Steph Curry doesn’t show up in the playoffs because he definitely did so tonight in epic fashion.

Game 6 Klay led the way in the first half

Klay Thompson was a large reason for the Warriors’ ability to hang in the game in the first half, scoring 21 points on 8-for-15 shooting and admirable defense on James Harden, continuing his legacy as a dynamic Game 6 performer.

Make no mistake about it: this was very much a Splash Brothers win, Thompson carrying the load in the first half while Curry stepped up in the second half. And I’d be remiss if I didn’t give a shout out to veterans Andre Iguodala (17 points) and Shaun Livingston (11) who came up clutch as well when their team needed it.

Bridges to nowhere

Last year, the Rockets insisted that Chris Paul’s injury absence was the reason they lost. Early in this round, James Harden was complaining about the refs. Daryl Morey doubled down with some ridiculous report.

And yet when handed the opportunity to beat the Warriors with Kevin Durant and DeMarcus Cousins, the Rockets still came up short at home in a game in which Curry was scoreless in the second half.

Yes, the officiating was ... bizarre. I think everyone can see that. But it was inconsistent both ways to the point that the game was almost difficult to watch at times...

However, if the Rockets are as good as they keep telling us they are, they shouldn’t have been down 8 in the second quarter, they shouldn’t have been tied at half, and they shouldn’t have been struggling to pull away down the stretch. They should’ve won that game.

Yeah, that’s gotta hurt.

Enjoy the offseason, Houston.