The Golden State Warriors defeated the Houston Rockets, 118-113, on Friday night to clinch a contentious Western Conference semifinal series many saw as the de facto N.B.A. finals. The Warriors, who played without their injured star Kevin Durant, persevered on the road to close out a tightly contested series, four games to two. In doing so, Golden State kept alive its dream of winning three straight N.B.A. championships — and its fourth in five years. Stephen Curry, after going scoreless for the Warriors in the first half, erupted for 33 points in the second, and Klay Thompson was terrific throughout, finishing with 27 points while shooting 7 of 13 from 3-point range — including one that essentially sealed the win in the final minute. The Splash Brothers, as the two are known, came through when it mattered most.<doc-sep>Golden State Warriors at Houston Rockets Betting Odds Spread: Rockets -7 Over/Under: 213.5 Time: 9 p.m. ET TV Channel: ESPN Series Score: Warriors Lead 3-2 >> All odds as of Thursday night. Download The Action Network App to get real-time odds and live win probabilities on your bets. If you missed all of the Game 5 drama, no worries. We have you covered: Kevin Durant is out for the rest of the series, but the Warriors just need to win one of the last two. Can they steal the series on the road in Game 6 or will the Rockets force a deciding Game 7? Our analysts discuss. Betting Trends to Know The Warriors opened as 5.5-point underdogs in Game 6. This is the most points Golden State has gotten in a playoff game in the Steve Kerr era; the previous high was 3.5. The Warriors are 4-5 straight up and against the spread as underdogs in the postseason. — John Ewing In the Kerr era, the Warriors have been underdogs of five or more points in seven previous games, including the regular season and playoffs. Golden State went 1-6 SU and 2-5 ATS in those contests. — Ewing A majority of spread tickets are on the Warriors as underdogs despite the Kevin Durant injury. In the playoffs during the Kerr era, Golden State is 1-5 ATS when getting 50% or more of bets as an underdog and 3-0 ATS when the public fades them getting points. –– Ewing The Warriors are seven-point underdogs in Game 6 in Houston. The last time a two-time defending NBA champion was this high of an underdog, it didn’t turn out so bad for the home favorite. –– Evan Abrams Warriors are 7-pt dogs in Game 6 Last time a 2-time defending Champ. was listed as this high of a playoff dog was May 21, 1991: 1) 2-time champ. Pistons (+7) in Game 2 vs Jordan/Bulls 2) That same day Jordan won his 2nd MVP award In ’91, MJ would go on to win his 1st title… pic.twitter.com/d7457gvdXl — Evan Abrams (@EvanHAbrams) May 9, 2019 Over the last three seasons, the Warriors have played 33 total games without Kevin Durant but with Steph Curry. Golden State is 29-4 straight-up and 21-12 ATS, winning by an average of 12.6 points per game. –– Abrams Since Kevin Durant arrived in Golden State in 2016-17, the Warriors have faced the Rockets four times without KD. Steph Curry played in all four games, and the Warriors went 4-0 SU and ATS in those, covering the spread by 5.3 points per game. Also of note: In those four games without Durant, the under cashed by a whopping 13.5 PPG. — Abrams In the 40 games without Durant since joining the Warriors in 2016, the under is 27-13 (67.5%). When Durant is out and Curry is in, the under is 23-10 (70%), going under the total by 8.2 points per game. — Abrams Locky: How I’m Handicapping Game 6 Here’s a game that’s really hard to analyze for a few reasons. First, creating a rating or an average performance for the Warriors in this spot is borderline impossible. They are playing their first playoff game in three years without their best player. I have no idea what kind of performance to expect. Even guessing would be a little tough. There is also the motivation/fatigue angle. Should the Warriors try in this game? It is absolutely a reasonable question. And when I say “try,” I don’t mean they should walk off the court and forfeit or something. But I think the bench should be playing heavy minutes here, basically as a hedge against having to play a Game 7 less than 48 hours later (Sunday tip would be noon Pacific after playing Friday night’s Game 6). The Warriors starters have played huge minutes in the series so far and will have to play huge minutes if there’s a Game 7. This is a very tenuous situation, and I am extremely curious how Steve Kerr will handle it. If he goes for it and plays Curry and Klay Thompson all out and they lose … Game 7 is a rough spot. In terms of the side/total market for this game, I like Houston a little, because with Durant out (and DeMarcus Cousins out) and the bench playing so sparingly, Houston is probably better than this line indicates in an elimination game. The fact that Golden State has the advantage in ticket count is a little baffling, but they’re also Golden State. The total has gone up 3.5 points, and I actually think there’s something to be said for a correlated parlay here. You could make the case that a Houston cover means a large margin of victory, which means the type of mail-it-in effort I was describing above (bench plays a lot getting ready for Game 7). A Golden State cover means that Curry and Thompson played very well and made shots, and the competitiveness of the game probably leads it to go over. It isn’t a straight correlation, but I think there’s some overlap with those pairs of outcomes. — Ken Barkley Editor’s note: The opinions on this game are from the individual writers and are based on their research, analysis and perspective. They are independent of, and may not always match with, the algorithm-driven Best Bets from Sports Insights.<doc-sep>The Golden State Warriors have eradicated their alleged biggest competition in the Western Conference. The final game of the series against the Houston Rockets was a yet another flex of the Dubs’ slogan: “Strength In Numbers”. I’ve been wracking my brain trying to figure out which Warrior was most wondrous, but I gotta confess: this one’s just too darn close to call. I’m gonna need your help one more time, Dub Nation: WHO WAS THE WARRIORS WONDER IN THE GAME 6 ELIMINATION OF THOSE JABRONIS FROM HOUSTON? Stephen Curry 33 points/ 5 rebs/ 4 assists Curry had more fouls than than points and assists combined after the first half in Houston last night....because he had 0 points. I can’t believe the Rockets lost after Curry spotted them a 24 minute head start. Curry activated “Unanimous” mode in the second half and never looked back. ☔️ @StephenCurry30 goes off for 33 PTS in the 2nd half, leading the @warriors past Houston and into the Western Conference Finals! #StrengthInNumbers #NBAPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/1A26pJfLEk — NBA (@NBA) May 11, 2019 Amazing story about how Chris Paul tried to be petty and it backfired causing Steph Curry to say “kick me off the court again, boy!” #NBAPlayoffs By @ThompsonScribe pic.twitter.com/TiMpplc8aC — George Wrighster III (@georgewrighster) May 11, 2019 Chris Paul had Steph Curry kicked off the Toyota Center court the night before the game when he went to get shots up. Stephs response after the game last night. pic.twitter.com/8xjsebPmtS — NBA (@TheNBASoul) May 11, 2019 Klay Thompson 27 points/ 7 made threes While Curry was not balling out in the first two quarters, his fellow Splash Brother picked up the slack both offensively and defensively, styming James Harden. Stephen Curry's first half: All kinds of awful. Klay Thompson's first half: 21 points (no other Warrior w/more than 8). Curry's plus/minus: 0 Thompson's plus/minus: -4 Why it's wise to be careful with numbers. — Monte Poole (@MontePooleNBCS) May 11, 2019 James Harden when defended by Klay Thompson last night on 35 possessions: 12 points 1 assist 1 turnover 1 blocked 2 fouls drawn 3/12 FG 2/8 3PT pic.twitter.com/0qow06Ic8j — r/Warriors (@GSWReddit) May 11, 2019 He also sealed the game with a vicious dagger, because it was a Game 6 and that’s what Game 6 Klay does, baby! The defining play of this series for the Warriors. Curry, Draymond, Iggy, Klay, BANG, dagger 3. pic.twitter.com/881eRbnzf1 — Mathias Eftedal (@Maefteda) May 11, 2019 Andre Iguodala 17 points/ 5 made threes/ 5 steals Wow, sure was nice having Iguodala for this go-round with Houston. If Andre Iguodala doesn't make the Basketball Hall of Fame after what he's done delivering performance after performance like tonight's, they should just shut the place down. Amazing player. — Carl Steward (@stewardsfolly) May 11, 2019 Andre Iguodala is as professional as it comes: “I don’t really get too high anymore off games. I’m good. I’m just looking forward to the flight to relax.” (He had 17 points and 5 steals) pic.twitter.com/l69Ce9dHZt — Drew Shiller (@DrewShiller) May 11, 2019 Draymond Green 8 points/ 10 rebs/ 7 assists Shout out to everybody who jumped on the “Trade Draymond” bandwagon after he cursed out Kevin Durant last fall. Green was the pounding heartbeat of the champs last night, putting his fingerprints all over this game both defensively and offensively. His work with Curry as a recipient of the high pick-and-roll completely dismantled Houston’s defense in crunch time last night. Warriors ran Curry/Green PnR 10 times in the 4th. Scored on 8 of those, for 19 points. Only misses were the oop to Looney and Draymond possibly fouled by Capela at the rim. — Nate Duncan (@NateDuncanNBA) May 11, 2019 "I'm not gonna sit here and sugar coat it. ... This one felt amazing." —Draymond Green on the Warriors' Game 6 win in Houston pic.twitter.com/PDe8e6NwhI — NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) May 11, 2019 Kevon Looney 14 points/ 5 rebs I picked a heck of a time to write a “Looney is the X-Factor” piece, eh? This young monster did everything the Warriors needed him to do in a tense elimination game on the road. Kevon Looney might get a statue at Chase. — Sean (@BaySean) May 11, 2019 Klay Thompson details why he’s proud of Kevon Looney. #Warriors pic.twitter.com/UMobblm7Iu — 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) May 11, 2019 Shaun Livingston 11 points/ 1 poster dunk Mr. Livingston, I presume? He shook off the knee issues to help bury the Rockets alive. This dunk HAD to be satisfying for our beloved backup guard who is probably going to retire after this season.<doc-sep>Playing without injured star Kevin Durant and working with what appeared to be a rapidly thinning bench, you might have figured the Golden State Warriors would be in deep trouble if they saw a half in which Stephen Curry went scoreless on 0-of-5 shooting. After all, while the Warriors entered Game 6 having compiled a 29-4 record in games when Durant sat and Curry played, those games involved Curry averaging 27.8 points. But instead of finding themselves in trouble on Friday, the Warriors found themselves headed to the locker room at halftime tied with the Houston Rockets. They earned that halftime deadlock behind both a 3-point explosion from Klay Thompson and timely contributions from several of the same players who had seen their performances maligned earlier in the series. Then, Steph poured in 33 second-half points — including a career-high 23 in the fourth quarter — to send the Rockets home and the Warriors back to the Western Conference finals for the fifth consecutive season. Thompson knocked down five threes during that first half, pouring in 21 of the Warriors’ 57 points. He scored only six points after the break, but the early burst was key in allowing his team to survive Curry’s frigid shooting. Not that this was anything out of the ordinary for Thompson — he has become something of a Game 6 specialist over the past several years, knocking down in excess of 52 percent of his 3-point tries in the Warriors’ seven Game 6s during the Steve Kerr era. This victory also pushed the Warriors’ record during that time to an incredible 95-9 (and 18-3 in the playoffs) in games when Thompson makes five or more shots from beyond the arc. Thompson was not alone in buoying the Warriors while Curry struggled. Golden State’s bench players had been absolutely dreadful during this series, but in the first half of Game 6, Shaun Livingston, Kevon Looney, Quinn Cook, Jordan Bell, Jonas Jerebko, Andrew Bogut and Alfonzo McKinnie actually came to play. That group of seven players combined for 20 points prior to halftime — more than they had collectively scored during any of the previous five games in this series. Livingston finished the game with 11 points, marking just the fifth time all season he cracked double digits and the first time since the middle of January. Looney hammered the Rockets on the offensive glass, collecting 16.7 percent of available offensive boards while he was on the floor — a rate that would rank among the best in the league if he sustained it over a full season. His 14 points also marked the second-highest total of his playoff career, and Friday was only the third time he’s reached double digits during a postseason game. Cook didn’t score in the second half, but he dished out two extremely timely assists before the break and, late in the third quarter, set up Curry’s first 3-pointer of the game. The Warriors also got incredibly valuable contributions from Andre Iguodala, who should somehow find a way to include the tape of this game on his application to the Basketball Hall of Fame, if such a thing is possible. Iguodala not only finished with 17 points, but he also knocked down five threes for the first time in six years. His most valuable contributions, though, came on defense, where he hounded James Harden into an 11-for-25 shooting line and came away with a steal on four of Harden’s five live-ball turnovers, including one that essentially sealed the game late in the fourth quarter. Iguodala was Golden State’s preferred defender on Harden throughout the series, and Game 6 was an object lesson in why. Of course, all of those players’ contributions were merely the preamble to Chef Curry getting cooking in the second half. After going scoreless during the first half for the first time in 102 career playoff games, Steph had the most explosive second half of not just his own playoff career but of any player who had gone scoreless before halftime in the past 20 postseasons. Seemingly out of rhythm for most of the night, Curry didn’t really get going until he knocked down one of his classic relocation threes late in the third period. His next shot rimmed out, and a three-quarter-court heave at the end of the quarter came up just short, but he spent most of the rest of the game looking like the Stephen Curry we’ve come to know once he knocked down that corner three. That Stephen Curry is a killer, and he absolutely killed the Rockets in the fourth quarter, racking up 23 points while shooting 6 of 8 from the field, 3 of 5 from three and 8 of 8 from the line. Mostly, he shredded the Rockets out of the pick and roll. The Warriors had run a Curry-Draymond Green pick and roll 58 times during the first five games of the series, per Second Spectrum tracking data, for an average of 11.6 per game. They ran that action 10 times during the fourth quarter of Game 6 alone, and those plays resulted in 20 Warriors points, 15 of them from Curry himself. Driving layups, scoop floaters, step-back threes, hitting Green on the short roll so that he could make a 4-on-3 play coming downhill — Curry showed off the entire ball-screen repertoire down the stretch, and the Rockets simply had no answers for him. Very few teams have had answers for Curry over the years, though the Rockets did hound him into some of his very worst playoff basketball ever during this series. Steph struggled in Games 1 and 2, but the Warriors still came out on top thanks largely to the brilliance of Durant and the under-heralded contributions of Green and Iguodala. Houston rebounded to tie the series by winning the next two games at home while Curry continued misfiring, but in both Game 5 and Game 6, the Rockets squandered opportunities to take advantage of his continued struggles until it was too late, and he managed to get going again.<doc-sep>
Despite all odds being stacked against them, the Golden State Warriors eliminated the Houston Rockets in Game 6 with a 118-113 victory. With the Warriors missing Kevin Durant due to a calf strain and Golden State playing on the road at the Toyota Center, the defending champions relied on a huge first-half performance from Klay Thompson (21 points in the first half), a clutch fourth quarter from Stephen Curry and a surprising performance from the team's bench to eliminate their Western Conference rivals. Curry led the way with 33 points while Thompson finished the night with 27 points. Golden State will now face the winner of Game 7 between the Portland Trail Blazers and Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference finals. Here are some major takeaways from Golden State's victory: The old Warriors This is no disrespect to Kevin Durant, who is, at this point, pretty indisputably the best player in the NBA. But my goodness are the old Warriors something to behold. They are not perfect. They turn the ball over. They make stupid plays and get in foul trouble. But have you ever seen a team that fights like this? A few days after Kyrie Irving and the Celtics showed us what it looks like to wither up and die when the going gets tough, the Warriors reminded everyone what the heart of a champion actually looks like. Given the circumstances -- the Durant absence, Curry being held scoreless in the first half, the foul trouble, on the road -- this might very well be the most impressive victory throughout this entire five-year run. Just absolutely incredible. "Not going to swear tonight. They're giants. They're champions. These guys are a historically good basketball team," head coach Steve Kerr said of his Warriors after the Game 6 win. "You do not do what these guys have done without an incredible combination of talent and character." Stephen Curry is a god Curry has never struggled with his shot like this. For five games against Houston he was shooting 26 percent from 3. He went 0-for-5 in the first half and was held scoreless. He looked awful. That is not an overstatement. Full-blown awful. So what does he do? He comes out and scores 33 second-half points, including some monster shots in crunch time. Forget the otherworldly shooting ability -- this is what pure, unabashed confidence looks like. There might not be another player in the world who can go from shooting, and playing, that poorly to flat out dominating in the blink of an eye like he never missed a beat. Just remarkable, the willingness and self-belief to keep playing through those struggles at full speed, no hesitation, against relentless double-teams and traps, with the stakes that high and a world of criticism awaiting him if he didn't turn it around. Never doubt Steph Curry. Ever. Unless you want to look like a fool. "That game personified Steph Curry," Kerr said after the game. "He's just fearless. That's what makes him who he is." Can't say it better than that. Game 6 Klay Thompson Klay has a history of going off in Game 6s, and he did it again when the Warriors needed it most, finishing with with 27 points, but it was the 21 first-half points that were beyond huge. If Klay doesn't carry the Warriors in the first half while Curry was on the bench with three fouls and zero points, there are no heroics to be had at the end. It would've been over long before that. Never mind Klay's defense all night. He had some of the most impressive defensive possessions you will ever see in this game. This dude is such a battler it's hard to find the words for it. Unfazed by anything. Kudos to Chris Paul and James Harden Especially Paul, who finally had a vintage Chris Paul game with 27 points, 11 rebounds and six assists. He hit 3s. He got into the lane. He gave Harden, who finished with 35 points, the support he needed, and it just wasn't enough. This is as brutal a loss as Paul has ever suffered, and he's suffered some brutal ones. The Rockets did not lose this game, however. The Warriors won it. That's a big distinction that needs to be made. Recap of live updates CBS Sports was with you throughout Warriors vs. Rockets Game 6. Scroll through our LIVE blog if you missed anything.