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Stephen Curry will watch on from the sidelines again as the Golden State Warriors aim to close out the first-round NBA playoff series against the Houston Rockets. Join The Roar for live scores of Game 5 from 12:30pm (AEST).
The Warriors would have expected a comprehensive sweep of the Rockets coming into this series, and while it has been fairly straightforward, they did stumble in Game 3.
Big wins in the first two games were offset by Curry going down with an ankle injury just after halftime during the second game, allowing the Rockets to grab a win at home in the third.
Game 4 saw the Rockets right in the contest until halftime, when Curry went down again, this time with a knee injury. Interestingly, the Warriors’ offence seemed to flow without Curry on court. After the scores were tied at the halftime break, Golden State scored a massive 41 points in the third quarter, eventually winning the game by 27.
Klay Thompson took over a bulk of the scoring, putting up 23 points, shooting a ridiculous seven of 11 from behind the arc. With Draymond Green knocking down four long bombs as well, in addition to picking up his usual swathe of rebounds, the Rockets were never going to challenge.
As usual, it has been James Harden doing just about everything for the Rockets offence, top scoring for them in every game, also chiming in with assists and rebounds but without much support.
However, Dwight Howard is the key for Houston. He had a much-improved performance in Game 3, and despite the fact he will be more than likely going into free agency at season’s end, he needs to be dedicated to the cause – and that means doing more than standing there and hoping the rebound bounces his way.
Without Curry, Houston can hope to guard the Warriors from the perimeter, and if with Howard and Harden they can win the battle inside they have a chance of keeping the series alive.
Prediction
With Curry out was the time the Warriors accelerated away from the Rockets last match. Difficult to see the result going any other way than a Golden State victory at the Oracle Arena.
Warriors by 9.
Be sure to join The Roar for live scores of this match from 12:30pm (AEST) and don’t forget to add your own comments in the section below.
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