The Golden State Warriors held off multiple pushes from the LA Clippers, coming away with a Game 6 win on the road 129-110.
Kevin Durant refused to let his team lose this one, scoring a playoff career-high 50 points on 15-for-26 shooting from the field. Draymond Green stepped up in his own way, filling the stat sheet across the board with a triple-double of 16 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists.
The Clippers battled behind Danilo Gallinari's 29 points but couldn't overcome quiet games from their super subs Montrezl Harrell (10 points) and Lou Williams (8 points).
The Warriors are set to take on the Houston Rockets in the Western Conference Semifinals.
For more Golden State's series-clinching Game 6 win, we have you covered with takeaways below.
Durant brought the flamethrower to Staples
Kevin Durant came ready to shut the series down.
The Warriors star poured in 50 points on a wildly efficient 15-of-26 from the field, 6-of-14 from three and 14--of-15 from the free throw line.
His performance marked the 38th time a player has had 50 or more in an NBA playoff game and just the fifth in the last 10 years.
KD just had the highest scoring half of his career... :scream:
— NBA TV (@NBATV) April 27, 2019
38 PTS AND COUNTING :fire:#DubNation | #NBAPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/b07CvGfbXE
Durant did the bulk of the damage in the first half, scoring 38 points, just one shy of the NBA record, tying Charles Barkley for the second most points scored in a half in a playoff game.
Kevin Durant's 38 first-half points ties the NBA record for most points in the first half of a playoff game, matching Charles Barkley's 38-point half at Golden State on May 4, 1994. Eric "Sleepy" Floyd holds the record for most points in any half of a playoff game with 39.
— Warriors PR (@WarriorsPR) April 27, 2019
Every time the Clippers made a run, Durant had an answer, but this wasn't just a scoring outburst from KD, he added six rebounds and five assists on the night, making the extra pass, playing lockdown defence and protecting the rim.
Kevin Durant’s final four games in this series
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) April 27, 2019
38 points on 14/23 FG
33 points on 12/21 FG
45 points on 14/26 FG
50 points on 15/26 FG
Harrell and Williams held in check
Through the first five games of the series, the Clippers bench duo was averaging a combined 44 points per game, with Williams (24) and Harrell (20) leading their offence.
The Warriors knew they had to limit their impact in Game 6 and they did just that, holding Williams to eight points and Harrell 10 on a combined 7-of-28 shooting from the field.
Credit to the Warriors defence, who shadowed Williams at every turn, keeping him out of the paint, with Klay Thompson locking things down on the perimeter. When he did get there, he was met with the full force of Draymond Green and Kevin Durant at the rim.
It was a particularly frustrating night for Williams, who just couldn't get anything to drop (3-of-21 FG), with his frustration eventually leading to a technical foul in the fourth quarter after an exchange with the officials.
Triple-double Draymond
Draymond Green has brought his A-game thus far in the postseason – his Game 6 performance was no different.
Green did a little bit of everything for the Warriors, going for a triple-double of 16 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists. With Golden State's win and Green's stat line, the Warriors are now 26-0 (regular season and playoffs) when Draymond records a triple-double.
This was also Green's fifth postseason triple-double, the most in Warriors' history.
And you could argue his play on the defensive end was his most impressive feat in this game. Green finished with four blocks but more importantly, held down the inside in a contest where the Warriors chose to play small.
Green started at centre with head coach Steve Kerr inserting Shaun Livingston into the starting lineup and Draymond was fantastic in that role. He played a key factor in holding Montrezl Harrell to his quiet 10 points and finished with an extremely solid plus-19 plus/minus.
Green averaged 12.0 points, 7.8 rebounds and 7.8 assists for the series and will need to repeat that performance in the next round to help keep the advantage on the Warriors' side.
Curry's infamous ankles
Stephen Curry's ankles seem to be the only thing that can slow him down.
The lingering injury has been a reoccuring issue and for a brief moment it looked like it was going to affect his Game 6 experience.
In the first quarter Curry awkwardly rolled his right ankle, coming up hobbling trying to walk it off. He fought through the pain, burying a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession but then checked out of the game to be evaluated.
The ankle wouldn't alter Curry's evening as the former MVP went on to play 38 minutes, scoring 24 points to go with six rebounds and six assists.
He avoided anything serious but he did also tweak that same ankle in Game 1. With his health history, it's something worth monitoring moving forward to the Conference Semifinals against the Rockets.