Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry combined for seven three-pointers in the third quarter to bring the Golden State Warriors back from a 10-point halftime deficit to eventually snag a 115-86 win in Game 6 of the NBA's Western Conference finals.
The teams will meet one final time in Houston on Tuesday (NZT), with the Game 7 winner advancing to the NBA Finals to face either the Boston Celtics or Cleveland Cavaliers, who play their Game 7 in Boston on Monday (NZT).
Playing without injured point guard Chris Paul, the Rockets shocked the defending champs with an early burst of four consecutive three-pointers to help produce a 39-22 lead after one quarter.
But the Warriors fought back to trail 61-51 at halftime, then used powerful three-point shooting of their own to pass Houston before the end of the third quarter and pull away early in the fourth.
Thompson saved 21 of his game-high 35 points for the second half and Curry chipped in with 16 of his 29, helping Golden State go up by as many as 30 en route to the series-tying win.
James Harden had a team-high 32 points for the Rockets, including 15 in the first quarter.
The Rockets shot 11-for-22 on threes in the first half, but then just 4-for-17 the rest of the way.
Kevin Durant contributed 23 points for the Warriors, who haven't been in a Game 7 since the 2016 NBA Finals against Cleveland, a game the Cavaliers won to deny Golden State back-to-back titles.
Reuters
