| |
|
NBA West Finals -- Warriors steal homecourt with Game 1 win
By Homer D. Sayson PhilBoxing.com Wed, 16 May 2018

CHICAGO -- The highly-anticipated Western Conference Finals duel between the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets was electric as anticipated, full of thrills and chills.
But after 48 minutes of action, it was the defending champion Warriors who drew first blood, beating the host Rockets 119-106 in Game 1 on Monday night at the Toyota Center.
Kevin Durant, a former NBA MVP and last June's Finals MVP, was too hot to handle with 37 points on 14 of 27 shooting including thee made 3s. Steph Curry wasn't as explosive with a relatively low 18 points, but his Splash Brother, Klay Tompson, erupted for six triples to finish with 28.
James Harden had a fast start, nine quick points that helped Houston take an early 23-14 lead. The presumptive MVP went on to tally 41 but it wasn't enough as the gritty Warriors, showing the poise of champions, recovered and shot 42 of 80 field goals including 13 of 33 from long distance.
"Our guys have been here before, Our guys have a lot of experience, they felt this, they relish this," Warriors head coach Steve Kerr told The San Francisco Chronicle.
"If we want to beat them we have to be mentally sharper. There were too many times we had mental lapses," Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni said after the loss, one that surrendered homecourt advantage to Golden State.
Houston, the No.1 overall seed in these playoffs, finished with 39 of 85 from the field and 13 of 37 from 3-point range.
It simply wasn't enough against a talent-loaded, focused Golden State.
Game 2 resumes Wednesday night (Thursday AM in the Philippines) at the Toyota Center. If the Rockets want to make this a long series they need to hold serve because the Warriors, who host Games 3 and 4 in Oakland, California, have an active 15-0 streak at the Oracle Arena.
caption -- Kevin Durant had an easy time scoring 37 points against the Rockets. He shot over shorter defenders and danced around bigger opposition. The result was just as easy, Warriors 119, Rockets 106.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Homer D. Sayson.
Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:
THE PAST WEEK IN ACTION 29 JUNE 2026: Paro UD Crocker for IBF Welter Title; Ennis Stops Zayas in 7 for WBA, WBO Welter Titles; Wins by Whittaker, Vargas and Tucker; Valenzuela KO2 De Los Santos By Eric Armit, , Tue, 30 Jun 2026Rising Featherweight Star Jaycob "The Raging Bull" Ramos Signs Exclusive Management Agreement with Boxing VIP , Tue, 30 Jun 2026Clarion to leave on July 2 for WBC Youth title By Lito delos Reyes, , Tue, 30 Jun 2026Gustavo Trujillo Stays Undefeated with Devastating Seventh-Round Knockout at Fist of Fury 11 , Tue, 30 Jun 2026World Boxing Council Unveils Special July 4th Commemorative Belt Honoring USA 250th Anniversary By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Tue, 30 Jun 202612-Year-Old Filipina Memory Prodigy Georgina Santos to Represent the Philippines in Two World Memory Championships By Marlon Bernardino, , Tue, 30 Jun 2026World championship mega-fight between Christian Mbilli and Saul "Canelo" Alvarez postponed to October , Mon, 29 Jun 2026Filipino Jonas Magpantay wins Indonesia; pockets $15,000, gains steam heading to Vietnam By Marlon Bernardino, , Mon, 29 Jun 2026Ex-kickboxer to debut in MMA Slugfest By Lito delos Reyes, , Mon, 29 Jun 2026Deaño settles to a draw By Lito delos Reyes, , Sun, 28 Jun 2026Abdyrakhmanov defeats Kadiev, Kudryashov knocks out Yousefi at IBA Bare Knuckle 5 in Moscow , Sun, 28 Jun 2026WBC declares German Agit Kabayel new WBC heavyweight champion after Usyk relinquishes his title By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Sun, 28 Jun 20264th Gov. RST MMA Slugfest on July 3 By Lito delos Reyes, , Sun, 28 Jun 2026Chezka Centeno ready for world 10-ball title defense By Marlon Bernardino, , Sat, 27 Jun 2026Xander Zayas vs Jaron Ennis: Breakout Moment in Brooklyn By Chris Carlson, , Sat, 27 Jun 2026GAB Must Look Into Exploitation of Rated Filipino Fighters in Japan By Teodoro Medina Reynoso, , Sat, 27 Jun 2026TITLE FIGHT ON: Zayas and "Boots" Ennis Hit the Scales for Brooklyn Super-Welterweight Showdown By Dong Secuya, , Sat, 27 Jun 2026USC's Galen Center confirmed as Martinez-Plantic, Lopez-Carrillo venue August 29, live on ProBoxTV , Sat, 27 Jun 2026July 4: Albert Bell Steps In to Challenge Abdullah Mason in All-Ohio WBO Lightweight World Title Showdown at Cleveland State University’s Wolstein Center LIVE on TNT and DAZN , Fri, 26 Jun 2026Zamboanga relinquishes her ONE Women’s title By Lito delos Reyes, , Fri, 26 Jun 2026Top-ranked Charly Suarez facing Manuel Avila, plus two more fights added to July 18 ProBoxTV event , Fri, 26 Jun 2026Yanon fights Kaji in Tokyo on July 4 By Lito delos Reyes, , Fri, 26 Jun 2026Preparations underway for 2026 IBA men’s divisional continental championships , Fri, 26 Jun 2026Highland Boxing Promotions Presents "Warrior Showdown" in Bangkok on June 27 By Carlos Costa, , Thu, 25 Jun 2026Usyk reportedly considering retirement but could face Kabayel before the year ends By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Thu, 25 Jun 2026 |

|
|
|
|
|