Kevin Durant‘s 37 points led the Warriors past Houston 119-106 in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals, as Golden State withstood 41 points from James Harden.
The Rockets lost at home for the second time this postseason, giving away their home-court advantage to the defending NBA champs.
Kevin Durant's 37 points lead Warriors over Rockets 119-106. @kristieap https://t.co/t30yZpf0Ka
— AP Sports (@AP_Sports) May 15, 2018
KD wanted to play all 48 minutes in the series-opener, and grew upset with head coach Steve Kerr when he took him out for a breather in the third quarter.
Per the AP:
“This is why anybody would want him on their team … I don’t know what you do to guard him,” Kerr said. “He can get any shot he wants.”
Starting a playoff series on the road for the first time since 2014, the Warriors trailed by as many as 9 early, but had evened it up by halftime and used a big run at the beginning of the fourth quarter to pull away.
“We’re in the Western Conference finals they are going to come out with a lot of energy,” Durant said. “We’re going to take that first punch and keep punching.”
