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NBA Playoffs: Warriors vs. Rockets Game 1 recap, full highlights

By Charles Rahrig V

April 16, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30, center) and Houston Rockets guard Patrick Beverley (2) are separated by NBA official Dan Crawford (second from left) during the first quarter in game one of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
April 16, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30, center) and Houston Rockets guard Patrick Beverley (2) are separated by NBA official Dan Crawford (second from left) during the first quarter in game one of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Golden State Warriors coasted past the Houston Rockets for a win in Game 1 in the first round of the NBA Playoffs.

78. 169. Final. 104. 41

The Houston Rockets thought they could try and get physical with the Warriors in the mouth and get them off their game. Instead, the Warriors pushed back early and it was never really a fight in Oakland on Saturday afternoon.

Early on, the Warriors were connecting from the outside while, the Rockets struggled to get points on the board. In the first six minutes of the game, the Rockets only had six points in the first six minutes, while the Warriors were running all over them.

If there was any moment that perfectly captured what the first half was all about, it was when Stephen Curry and Patrick Beverley got into a scuffle early on. Curry had enough of Beverley shoving him around and when the two got tangled up, there was a bit of some scuffling going on.

Beverley would proceed to be booed every time he touched the ball and James Harden would struggle to score. At one point in the first half, Harden had four points and four fouls.

Curry would have 24 points in the first half, but as he was starting to get hot, he limped back to the locker room. He would go to get his ankle taped, but would soon have to leave to get it taped again. He was available to return, but head coach Steve Kerr decided to leave him on the bench as the Warriors had a 27-point first-half lead.

In the second half, the Rockets would cut the deficit a little bit, but the bench of the Warriors wouldn’t allow the Rockets to try and get any closer. Shaun Livingston did a tremendous job in Curry’s absence on the court and kept things status quo on the court. Marreese Speights would chip in double-digit points off the bench and that would allow the Warriors to coast to the finish and grab Game 1 from the Rockets.

Full Highlights

Three Stars

3. Draymond Green

Green had yet another double-double on the night for the Warriors. He also got physical when the Rockets tried to get physical with the Warriors and he had his teammates back. He destroyed Patrick Beverley on a screen and flipped Donatas Montiejunas on his back in a brief scuffle.

2. Klay Thompson

Thompson didn’t exactly light up the scoreboard, but he made big plays off big passes to help his team maintain the lead. It was a nice performance from Thompson.

1. Stephen Curry

Even though he didn’t play much because of his ankle, Curry set the tone in the first half with his 24 points. Had he not got hurt, he was on his way to a huge night offensively.

Betting Odds

The Warriors came into the game as a 13-point favorite. With the big win over the Rockets, the Warriors covered the spread.

What’s next?

The Warriors and Rockets will play in Game 2 of the series on Monday night in Oakland.

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