The Golden State Warriors are going back to the Finals for the fourth consecutive year.
Kevin Durant scored a game-high 34 points and Steph Curry nearly had a triple-double with 27 points, 10 assists, nine rebounds as the Warriors took down the Houston Rockets, 101-92 to take Game 7 of the Western Conference finals Monday night.
With the victory, the Warriors became the first team since 2002 (Los Angeles Lakers) to win Game 7 on the road in the Western Conference finals. They’ll now move on to face LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers for the fourth straight time.
The @NBA Finals are SET ? pic.twitter.com/nq6GaNuvnG
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) May 29, 2018
Plan accordingly, #DubNation!#NBAFinals start Thursday on #WarriorsGround. pic.twitter.com/HLGmUSHKd1
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) May 29, 2018
Game 1 is set for Thursday, with Game 2 scheduled Sunday night. The rematch also marks an NBA record as the Cavs and the Warriors meet in the Finals for the fourth consecutive time.
The Houston Rockets, who were looking to go back to the NBA Finals for the first time in two decades, blew another second half lead as the Warriors came out hot.
The defending champions trailed by as many as 15 in the first half after falling behind 17 in Game 6. However, just like the previous game, the Rockets went ice cold and the Warriors couldn’t miss.
Houston missed all 14 3-point attempts in the third quarter and broke an NBA record for most consecutive 3-pointers missed with 27.
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James Harden had 32 points in the loss as the top-seeded Rockets’ bid to return to the finals for the first time since 1995 fell short without Chris Paul, who was nursing a hamstring injury.
Klay Thompson added 19 points for Golden State after scoring 35 in the Game 6 win and the Warriors got a fourth straight start from Kevon Looney with Andre Iguodala sitting out again with a bone bruise on his left leg.
Golden State scored 33 points in the third quarter for the second straight game while Houston managed just 15 points on Monday night after it scored 16 in the third in Game 6. The Warriors outscored Houston 122-63 in the second half of the final two games.
Houston fell to 6-5 all-time in Game 7s and 4-2 at home. The Warriors host Game 1 of the finals on Thursday and Game 2 on Sunday.
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