OAKLAND (UNITED STATES) - The streaking Golden
State Warriors shook off an ankle injury to superstar Stephen Curry to
thrash the Houston Rockets 104-78 on Saturday in their NBA Western
Conference playoff opener.
Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors reacts after
hitting a three-point shot against the Houston Rockets in the second
quarter in Game One during the 2016 NBA Playoffs, on April 16, 2016 in
Oakland, California
Reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Curry sent a tremor of
tension through Oracle Arena when he twisted his right ankle defending
Rockets star James Harden late in the second quarter.
Curry went to the locker room for treatment and played
briefly early in the third period before coach Steve Kerr called a
timeout and took him out of the contest.
Curry visited the locker room again, and though he returned to the bench for the fourth quarter he didn't play again.
Kerr said he didn't know the severity of the injury, calling
Curry "questionable" for game two on Monday, saying he wouldn't take
chances with his star with the championship finals still a long way away
in June.
Team-mate Klay Thompson thought Kerr's caution was overdone."He'll be all right," Thompson said of Curry. "We expect him out here on Monday."
Curry inflicted significant damage before his departure. His 24 points included 16 in the first quarter.
In a rematch of last season's Western Conference finals,
Golden State harried Houston from tip-off, with frustrated Rockets point
guard Patrick Beverly scuffling with Curry less than six minutes into
the contest.
"That's to be expected," Kerr said. "It's the playoffs. Both guys are
competitive. Beverly is a good defender, that's what he does, he tries
to get under your skin. He's just doing his job."The Warriors answered with two three-pointers from Curry in a 14-6 scoring run, limiting Houston to six-of-20 shooting in the opening frame.
The Warriors led 60-33 by halftime, and held Harden to four points before the break.
Harden, second to Curry in regular-season scoring with an average 29 points per game, perked up after the interval, hitting three three-pointers to finish with 17 points, but he didn't get to the free-throw line once.
"Very satisfied," Kerr said. "I thought our defense was excellent. We made them earn every point."
Draymond Green, who had 12 points and 10 rebounds for the
Warriors, received the third technical foul of the contest in the fourth
quarter for pulling Rockets big man Donata Motiejunas down from behind.
"It's the playoffs," Kerr said again.
The winner of the best-of-seven series face either the Los Angeles Clippers or Portland Trail Blazers in the second round.
Western Conference action continued later Saturday with the third-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder hosting the Dallas Mavericks.
Second-seeded San Antonio launch their campaign on Sunday against the Memphis Grizzlies.
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