There are so many questions heading into Game 3 of the Western Conference finals between the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets, we hardly know where to begin. But it all comes down to who can play better, and take a 2-1 series lead. The Rockets blew out Golden State on Wednesday to put their stamp on the series.
The Warriors, on the other hand, go home licking their wounds. If they win both Game 3 and 4, that would take a lot of the air out of the Rockets' sails. It's not impossible to overcome a 3-1 Golden State lead, but it's a hole that not many teams can dig out of. Their objective is to defend home court.
No. 1 Houston Rockets vs. No. 2 Golden State Warriors
How to watch Game 3
- Date: Sunday, May 20
- Time: 8 p.m. ET
- Location: Oracle Arena in Oakland, California
- TV: TNT
- Live stream: TNTdrama.com or TNT app
Playoff series schedule
- Game 1 in Houston: Warriors 119, Rockets 106 | Botkin: Warriors make Game 1 statement
- Game 2 in Houston: Rockets 127, Warriors 105 | Ward-Henninger: Curry goes cold as Rockets regain form
- Game 3 in Oakland: Sunday, May 20, 8 p.m. ET (TNT)
- Game 4 in Oakland: Tuesday, May 22, 9 p.m. ET (TNT)
- Game 5 in Houston: Thursday, May 24, 9 p.m. ET (TNT)
- Game 6* in Oakland: Saturday, May 26, 9 p.m. ET (TNT)
- Game 7* in Houston: Monday, May 28, 9 p.m. ET (TNT)
* -- if necessary
Regular-season series: Houston 2-1
Last season's playoff results: Rockets eliminated by San Antonio Spurs 4-2 in second round; Warriors won NBA Finals.
Injury Report: Warriors G Patrick McCaw has yet to play this postseason due to a spinal contusion. Chris Paul (soreness) is expected to play in Game 3.
Rockets' projected starting lineup: G Chris Paul; G James Harden; F Trevor Ariza; F P.J. Tucker; C Clint Capela
Warriors' projected starting lineup: G Stephen Curry; G Klay Thompson; F Andre Iguodala; F Kevin Durant; F Draymond Green
Rockets win if ...
They keep on shooting like the best shooting team in the NBA and Harden plays like the best player in the series. The thing about playing the Warriors is that you have to work incredibly hard to keep pace with their scoring. The Rockets are perhaps the only team in the NBA legitimately equipped to do that. With Paul, Harden and Ariza, they have three guys that can shoot, alongside Paul's facilitation of the offense. They'll also need to temper the indeterminable impact of Green for the Warriors, who has spent a lot of time facilitating for Golden State this postseason, and do what the Pelicans couldn't and find a solution for Durant.
Warriors win if ...
They're able to flip home court early in this series. With 15 consecutive wins at Oracle, the Warriors' crowd has a way of making runs cascade. The Pelicans learned that first-hand. Golden State also needs to keep on dominating the third quarter. This team is the best third-quarter team in the NBA, and that needs to continue. The final key is to keep Harden off the line. Every team gets frustrated with Harden's free-throw attempt numbers, so the onus will be on Green and, to a lesser extent, Durant to limit him. Thompson keeping Harden on the perimeter will be a huge part of this series.
SportsLine projections
According to SportsLine data scientist Stephen Oh, the Warriors have a 66.7 percent chance of winning the series. SportsLine will have game-by-game gambling advice for every playoff series here.
2018 NBA Playoff Bracket
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