Game Capsules from The Sports Network:
May 20-21, 2015:
Golden State 110, Houston 106
Oakland, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - The Golden State Warriors, known more for their offensive prowess, locked in on the defensive end on two separate occasions Tuesday night en route to a Game 1 win in the Western Conference Finals. Stephen Curry scored 34 points with six rebounds and five assists as the Warriors defeated the resilient Houston Rockets, 110-106, to take the early lead in the best-of-seven series. Shaun Livingston deposited 16 of his playoff career-high 18 in the first half and Draymond Green posted 13 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists for Golden State, which is making its first appearance in the conference finals since 1976. Klay Thompson struggled to 15 points on 6-of-18 shooting -- including 1-of-7 from beyond the arc. The build up coming into this game was Curry, the league MVP, going against James Harden, who finished second in the voting. It lived up to the hype as Harden contributed 28 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists to match Curry's strong performance. Trevor Ariza had 20 points and Josh Smith chipped in 17 points and seven boards for the Rockets, who have lost six straight to the Warriors dating back to last season. Dwight Howard, who played in just two of the four regular season games against Golden State, dealt with a knee injury throughout the evening and finished with seven points and 13 rebounds in just over 26 minutes of action. Game 2 is Thursday at Oracle Arena.
Cleveland 97, Atlanta 89
Atlanta, GA (SportsNetwork.com) - J.R. Smith set a franchise postseason record for 3-pointers and the Cavaliers opened the Eastern Conference finals with a road win over the Hawks. Smith buried eight 3s and scored 28 points and LeBron James had 31 points, eight rebounds and six assists as Cleveland beat Atlanta 97-89 in Game 1 on Wednesday night. Jeff Teague scored 27 points to lead Atlanta, but the Hawks lost starting forward DeMarre Carroll to a left knee injury in the fourth quarter. James led the way for No. 2-seeded Cleveland despite early foul trouble, but it was Smith's long-range shooting that fueled several key surges. His 3s came in bunches, including three in the first two minutes of the fourth quarter to help the Cavs build an 18-point lead. He broke James' old franchise record for 3s in a postseason game by one. Tristan Thompson added 14 points and 10 rebounds in the win and Kyrie Irving, who is battling tendinitis in his left knee, had 10 points and six assists in 27 minutes. Al Horford had 16 points, Paul Millsap scored 13 and Kent Bazemore chipped in with 10 off the bench for the top-seeded Hawks. Carroll had to be helped off the floor after tweaking his left leg on a drive in the final minutes. Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said the initial diagnosis was a left knee sprain but that the team will know more after Carroll has an MRI on Thursday. Game 2 is Friday in Atlanta.
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