Stephen Curry said the Golden State Warriors had to “dig deep” to beat the Houston Rockets 103-89 in the deciding game of their Western Conference first-round play-off series.
The Warriors led the best-of-seven series 3-1 before the Rockets pulled level at 3-3 going into the final game in Houston.
Curry scored 14 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter while team-mate Buddy Hield sank nine three-pointers in his game-high haul of 33 as the pair helped the Warriors set up a Western Conference semi-final against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
“A lot of resilience and everybody stepping up,” said Curry when asked what was needed to secure the win.
“Everybody’s been talking about our team the last two games in terms of our execution, our energy, all that.
“We blocked it all out and just understood we had 48 minutes to dig deep. Everybody contributed. Buddy Hield was unbelievable.”
Jimmy Butler, who joined the Warriors in a trade from Miami Heat in February, contributed 20 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.
“For us to build chemistry on the fly and build trust on the fly and perform like we did in a game seven, it means the world,” added Curry.
“So, mission accomplished – step one.”
The Rockets were second in the Western Conference regular season compared to the Warriors’ seventh-place finish.
Houston’s defeat in the decider meant they failed to become the 14th team to come from 3-1 behind to win a NBA play-off series.
Meanwhile, the Indiana Pacers won 121-112 at the Cleveland Cavaliers to take a 1-0 lead in their Eastern Conference semi-final play-off series.
Andrew Nembhard top scored for the Pacers with 23 points while team-mate Tyrese Haliburton added 22.
The Cavaliers, who finished top of the Eastern Conference, were beaten for the first time in this season’s play-offs following their 4-0 first-round play-off series victory against Miami.
“We’re definitely the heavy underdog, but we’re trying to control what we can,” said Haliburton. “It gives us a lot of momentum for sure, but this is the best team in our conference. They don’t lose much.”
