The Warriors took a 2-0 series lead after defeating the Rockets 115-106 in Game 2 on Monday night. Stephen Curry missed the game due to injury, but Klay Thompson picked up the scoring slack, leading Golden State with 34 points. Draymond Green filled the stat sheet with 12 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists, while Andre Iguodala added 18 points off the bench.
It was going to take a team effort for the Warriors to come away with a win without the reigning MVP in tow, and that’s exactly what they got. Golden State had eight different players score in the first quarter, using a balance attack to put Houston in an early hole. The Rockets actually jumped out to a 6-3 lead within the opening 90 seconds, but a 10-0 Warriors’ run capped off by Klay Thompson’s layup put Golden State out in front 13-6 with 6:49 remaining in the opening frame. Less than a minute later, however, Thompson picked up his second personal foul, meaning someone else was going to have to carry the scoring burden for Golden State. That someone else proved to be Andre Iguodala, who sank back-to-back three-pointers after Houston had cut the deficit to four, and then another at the 1:04 mark to put the Warriors up 31-22. The Rockets had their own surprise assassin from long range in Josh Smith, who matched Iguodala by also going a perfect 3-for-3 from beyond the arc in the opening quarter, including one with 25.6 seconds left to pull Houston within 31-27. After Festus Ezeli converted two free throws on the ensuing possession, Trevor Ariza closed out the scoring in the quarter with a three-pointer with 2.1 seconds left to send the game into the second frame with Golden State holding a slim 33-30 advantage.
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Related article – Warriors win without Curry 115-106, grab 2-0 series lead
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