Warriors vs. Rockets results: Stephen Curry comes alive in second half to eliminate Houston

Thomas Schlarp

•
Warriors vs. Rockets results: Stephen Curry comes alive in second half to eliminate Houston image

Nothing was going right for Steph Curry. Nothing would fall. He missed his first six shots, picked up two fouls in the first 5:20 and was held scoreless in a half for the first time since November 2012. Thirty-three second-half points later, the Warriors are going to their fifth consecutive conference finals after defeating the Rockets 118-113 in Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinals.

With the win, the Warriors improved to 26-1 in their last 27 games that Curry plays without Kevin Durant, who is out with a right calf strain.

Curry was visibly in pain late in the fourth quarter as he battled through a left hand injury suffered earlier in the series, but he continued to knock down clutch 3s. Klay Thompson carried the load for Golden State in the first half, scoring 21 of his 27 in the first two quarters. Andre Iguodala added five 3s in a 17-point performance, the most points he has scored since before the NBA All-Star break.

MORE: With KD injured, Warriors need peak Draymond Green now more than ever

James Harden scored 35 points for Houston and Chris Paul turned back the clock with 27 points, but the Rockets let a seven-point fourth-quarter lead slip away.

“They just outplayed us," Paul told reporters at Toyota Center after the game. "They played smarter than us and made the big plays, and we didn't."

Houston's bench was outscored 33-17 as the Warriors ended the Rockets' season on their home floor for the second straight year. All six games of this series were decided by six or fewer points, the first time that has happened in NBA history.

Golden State awaits the winner of Sunday's Game 7 matchup between the Nuggets and Trail Blazers. The Warriors split the season series with the Blazers and beat the Nuggets three of four times. The Western Conference finals begin will Tuesday; the Warriors will continue to monitor Durant's health in the meantime.

Sporting News tracked live scoring updates and highlights from Game 6 between the Warriors and Rockets. Check out the updates below.

Warriors vs. Rockets: Live score, updates from Game 6

(All times Eastern)

11:38 p.m.: Golden State closes it out and wins 118-113. Steph Curry finishes with a team-high 33 points. The Warriors advance to the Western Conference finals for the fifth straight year.

11:28 p.m.: The Splash Brothers are doing what they do best. Thompson hits his seventh 3 to give Golden State a 110-104 lead with 36.0 seconds left.

11:25 p.m.: Curry is in a lot of pain with his left hand, but a layup puts the Warriors ahead by four with two to play.

11:22 p.m.: Kevon Looney puts the Warriors ahead.

11:18 p.m.: Curry gets trapped near midcourt and calls a timeout with exactly 5:00 on the clock. Teams are tied 97-97. Harden leads all scorers with 27.

11:12 p.m.: Chris Paul goes down with an eye injury while Shaun Livingston hits a jumper. The game is tied 95-95.

11:09 p.m.: Curry connects from distance and the score is Houston 95, Golden State 92. Curry has quietly scored 15 points. 8:14 to play.

11:03 p.m.: Andre Iguodala hits his fifth 3 of the night to cut the Houston lead to four.

10:59 p.m.: The Rockets finish the third quarter with a Paul-to-Capela alley-oop. The Rockets carry an 87-82 lead into the final quarter.

10:56 p.m.: CP3 has 11 points this quarter and 21 for the game. Houston leads 83-80.

10:50 p.m.: Curry loses the ball out of bounds. That's the 15th turnover for Golden State, and Curry has just five points. Both teams have 77 points with 2:50 to go this quarter.

10:45 p.m.: Green checks out with his fourth foul and over four minutes to play in the third.

10:42 p.m.: Harden turns a steal into a 3 and a six-point Rockets lead.

10:39 p.m.: Draymond Green picks up his third foul with 6:49 left in the third. Things are tied 68-68.

10:34 p.m.: Paul hits back-to-back 3s to give Houston a 68-65 lead. Paul has 17 points.

10:33 p.m.: Curry finally breaks the seal and scores his first basket of the night via a layup.

10:31 p.m.: Second half underway, and Clint Capela slams home an alley-oop.

10:15 p.m.: After two, it's tied at 57. Considering Durant is out and Curry hasn't scored, the Warriors have to like where they are. Thompson leads all scorers with 21 points and five 3s.

10:10 p.m.: It's the Klay and Harden show. Both players have 19 points with 1:16 to play this quarter.

10:07 p.m.: Golden State already has 20 bench points. It has averaged 10.6 this series.

10:05 p.m.: Back-to-back Klay Thompson 3s puts the Warriors up six with 4:30 left in the half.

10:02 p.m.: Scratch that score. Officials reviewed a 3 that Eric Gordon "made" a few minutes ago as having come after the shot clock expired. Warriors lead 42-39.

9:58 p.m.: Curry misses another jumper. He's 0-for-5, yet Golden State is tied 42-42.

9:51 p.m.: Chris Paul is playing like 2009 CP3. He is 4 of 4 with 11 points. Steve Kerr calls a timeout.

9:43 p.m.: Despite Curry playing for less than half the quarter, the Warriors are right in this, down just 28-27 after one.

9:38 p.m.: Kevon Looney literally just running through the Rockets D. Zero resistance. No defensive switching.

9:33 p.m.: Harden is the first to double digits, and the Rockets hold an early 20-19 edge with 3:12 left in the quarter.

9:25 p.m.: Steph Curry picks up his second personal foul with 6:40 still to play in the first. Warriors lead 10-8.

9:20 p.m.: Klay Thompson hits the first of what is likely to be many 3s tonight.

9:17 p.m.: It takes one possession for James Harden to draw his first foul.

9:16 p.m.: The Warriors win the tip, and Game 6 is underway.

8:58 p.m.: Andrew Bogut will get the start tonight for the Warriors.

Thomas Schlarp