By Satuk Bugra Kutlugun
ANKARA (AA) – The Golden State Warriors defeated the Houston Rockets 118-113 on Friday night, won the series 4-2 to reach the Western Conference Finals.
Warriors superstar Stephen Curry scored all of his 33 points in the second half, including 23 in the 4th quarter, to propel his team's victory against the Rockets.
Golden State advanced to the West Finals for the fifth straight season. They won the championship in 2015, lost in finals in 2016, then won back-to-back in 2017 and 2018.
Without playing with their superstar and 2-time NBA Finals MVP Kevin Durant, Warriors still managed to get the job done, thanks to the core of 2015 championship team that includes Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, Andre Igoudala and Shaun Livingston.
Durant strained his right calf during the third quarter of the Game 5 and did not travel with the team for Game 6, will be evaluated and made available to the beginning of the West Finals.
Thompson scored 27 points, Igoudala chipped in with 17, Green played an all-around game and Livingston scored 11 points off the bench.
For the Rockets, reigning regular season MVP James Harden scored 35 points, Chris Paul added 27 points and 11 assists, but could not save their team from elimination at home.
The Warriors will play against the winner of the Portland Trail Blazers – Denver Nuggets series, which will be concluded on Sunday evening.
Here is the latest situation in the NBA playoffs:
Eastern Conference:
(1) Milwaukee Bucks 4-1 Boston Celtics (4) *
(2) Toronto Raptors 3-3 Philadelphia 76ers (3)
Western Conference:
(1) Golden State Warriors 4-2 Houston Rockets (4) *
(2) Denver Nuggets 3-3 Portland Trail Blazers (3)
* Series over
