OAKLAND, Calif. _ Despite the anticipation and hype around this series, the Warriors and Rockets did not produce countless highlight reels. Instead, both teams labored through sloppy play and endless foul calls.
The Warriors finished with a 104-100 win over the Rockets in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals on Sunday at Oracle Arena despite collecting 20 turnovers and 24 fouls.
Stephen Curry made a dagger 3 for a 103-98 lead with 24.4 seconds remaining. Before that, Kevin Durant scored 35 points while going 11-of-25 from the field and 12-of-15 from the free-throw line.
The Warriors also won because they were more efficient from the 3 (7-of-22) than the Rockets (14-of-46). The Warriors were also equally aggressive at drawing trips to the free-throw line (20-of-26) as Houston (24-of-29).
Rockets guard James Harden, who had 35 points albeit on 9-of-28 from the field, missed a potentially game-tying 3. Eric Gordon then was called for stepping out of bounds, prompting Chris Paul to collect a second technical foul and subsequent ejection with 4.4 seconds left.
