After the first quarter of Game 6 between the Rockets and Warriors, Houston led by 17 points, leaving the Oracle Arena crowd wondering what it had just witnessed. Saturday night marked the first time the Warriors had faced elimination in a playoff game since adding Kevin Durant, and they treated the opening 12 minutes like it was a preseason contest.
Of course, Golden State rediscovered its form, flying past the Rockets for a 115-86 blowout victory to even the series at 3-3. How crazy was the turnaround? Well, how about a few numbers to paint a picture?
37
Combined points for Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry in the second half. That was more than the entire Rockets team (25 points) scored over the final 24 minutes.
The "Splash Brothers" shot 13-of-22 from the field and 11-of-15 from 3-point range in that stretch. Thompson finished with 35 points in 39 minutes, while Curry posted 29 points, six assists and five rebounds.
4
Total 3-pointers made in the first half by the Warriors and in the second half by the Rockets. The switch in shooting efficiency certainly impacted the result.
Golden State went 4-of-18 in the first half from beyond the arc, and the Rockets shot 4-of-17 after going 11-of-22 in the first half with the deep ball.
93-47
The score in favor of the Warriors over the final three quarters. Mike D'Antoni must have been overjoyed with how the Rockets brought energy and aggression into a hostile environment. The positive vibes didn't last long, however.
Here's how the last three quarters played out: 29-22, 33-16 and 31-9. Wait... 31-9? Yes, Houston hit only four shots in the last period, and Luc Mbah a Moute missed the team's only free throw attempts. In a small sample size, the Rockets went from a 149.5 offensive rating in the first to an abysmal 37.7 rating in the fourth. Yikes.
Plus-112
The Warriors' overall scoring margin in third quarters this postseason. Is that good? Let ESPN's Micah Adams explain...
After last night, the Warriors now have the best overall scoring margin by any team in any quarter in any postseason in the shot clock era (since 1954-55).
— Micah Adams (@MicahAdams13) May 27, 2018
Now +112 in the 3rd quarter.
Like Michael Phelps or Usain Bolt in the 3rd leg of a relay.
Just look at this chart
OK, it's not technically a number, but just look at it.
Nothing about this makes sense.
What a wild game.
— Jon Bois (@jon_bois) May 27, 2018
