The Houston Rockets were the best team in the NBA in the regular season.
They played like it Wednesday night, using a balanced scoring attack to rout the Golden State Warriors 127-105 and even the Western Conference finals at one game apiece.
James Harden and Eric Gordon each scored 27 points on a night Houston had five players score 16 points or more.
“We can beat anybody, anywhere at any time playing the way we play,” coach Mike D’Antoni said.
The Rockets didn’t trail after the first quarter and led by double digits for most of the night. They head to Oakland, California for Game 3 on Sunday night feeling much better after rebounding from a deflating 119-106 loss in the series opener.
P.J. Tucker added a playoff career-high 22 and Trevor Ariza had 19 as both bounced back after struggling in Game 1. Tucker had just one point in that game and Ariza scored eight, but was limited on defense after collecting his fifth foul early in the third quarter.
“I never worry about my offense … it’s all on defense,” Tucker said. “If we get stops we’ll be able to run. It changes the game and it changes the way we play and we know that.”
Kevin Durant had 38 points after scoring 37 in the opener, but Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson combined for just 24 points after the pair went for 46 in Game 1.
Houston wasn’t able to slow down Durant, but did a much better job of limiting open 3-pointers by Thompson and Curry, and the two made just 3 of 12 attempts.
“They were desperate tonight and played like it, and we weren’t and it showed,” Golden State coach Steve Kerr said.
The Warriors made three free throws to get within 11 early in the fourth quarter before the Rockets scored the next 11 points, with 3s from Gordon, Tucker and Harden to make it 111-89 with about 6 1/2 minutes to play.
Durant made a basket after that, but Houston scored the next eight points to extend the lead to 119-91 with about five minutes left.
The Warriors got frustrated in that stretch, with Durant getting a technical for shoving Harden in the back and Draymond Green pushing Ariza out of bounds seconds later. It was then that Kerr sent all of his starters to the bench for good.
REDS 6, GIANTS 3
Scooter Gennett homered a half-inning after the second baseman saved two runs with a diving catch on a difficult popup, helping Cincinnati avoid a sweep. Adam Duvall hit a three-run homer in the first, and Jared Hughes (2-2) pitched two scoreless innings as Cincinnati won for the seventh time in nine games.
Staked to a 4-0 first-inning lead, Reds Matt Harvey allowed three runs, seven hits and four walks in four innings. Raisel Iglesias got three outs for his eighth save.
Andrew Suarez (1-3) gave up five runs and eight hits in six innings.
RED SOX 6, ATHLETICS 4
Xander Bogaerts hit a three-run homer, J.D. Martinez added a two-run shot and Boston avoided its first series sweep this season by beating Oakland.
The win also prevented the Red Sox from matching their season-high losing streak of three games.
Chris Sale (4-1) gave up two runs and two hits in five innings, striking out nine and walking four — his most base on balls since also issuing four on Aug. 31, 2016.
Craig Kimbrel, the fourth reliever, got three outs for his 12th save.
Marcus Semien hit a two-run homer, and Matt Joyce and Matt Olson each had a solo shot for the Athletics, who won the season series 4-2. Trevor Cahill (1-2) gave up three runs to the first four batters he faced, but held the Red Sox scoreless the rest of his five innings.
