After attacking Stephen Curry in Game 1 and forcing him to defend a lot of isolation plays, the Rockets doubled down in their 127-105 win on Wednesday.
Houston targeted Curry 23 times on offence, it was the most for any player in the postseason so far according to ESPN's Chris Haynes. On those 23 possessions, the Rockets went 7-for-15 from the field.
Curry felt like he was constantly exposed on an island having to guard Chris Paul and James Harden but his head coach Steve Kerr believes it was just one of those nights.
"It obviously wasn't Steph's best night," Kerr said after the game. "He struggled 1-for-8 from the three-point line. Slow start for him - I thought in the second half he got a few things going.
"I'm not worried about Steph, he's the kind of competitor and player who will bounce back from a tough night. It's just one those nights."
"I feel great (physically)... it's just a frustrating night all around." - @StephenCurry30 after Game 2 loss#NBAPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/ZpC4ckUJ9T
— NBA TV (@NBATV) May 17, 2018
The gameplan didn't change much for the high powered Rockets as they targeted Curry 20 times in the series opener. The two-time league MVP was able to keep Houston to around 45% from the field but the pace was much different in Game 2. Curry was also able to rely much more on his team's help defensively in Game 1, that help just simply wasn't there in Game 2 as the entire Warriors starting five finished the game no better than a minus-20.
"I don't know what this was maybe his sixth or seventh game back," Kerr continued. "So he's getting better - I thought he played a lot better in Game 1 than anyone gave him credit for.
"Again it wasn't our night, our defence wasn't connected. We weren't on the same page on a lot of plays we got a little out of sorts."
Golden State will now have four days to digest their fourth-worst playoff loss under Kerr.
A series shifting Game 3 is set for Sunday night in Oakland.
