The Golden State Warriors take a 2-0 lead on the road when they face the Houston Rockets in the Western Conference first-round playoffs in Game 3 at Toyota Center on Thursday.
The Warriors haven’t been playing their best ball by their standards, but they carry a 2-0 lead into Game 3 and look poised to cruise through the first-round. All the talk is around Steph Curry, as he comes into this game questionable with an ankle injury. With a deep run on Golden State's agenda and this series in very little jeopardy, it wouldn’t be a surprise at all to see Curry sit out until Golden State loses a game. Andre Iguodala stepped up in Curry's absence in Game 2, as he tallied 18 points, three rebounds and three assists off the bench. If Curry is to sit out again, that means more ballhandling for the Finals MVP and Shaun Livingston, as well as a bigger scoring load for Klay Thompson.
The Rockets played some great ball coming into the playoffs, but no one had faith in them for this series. James Harden is doing his part, but the others simply aren’t doing enough. Trevor Ariza is especially struggling, as he has gone 3-for-10 in each of the first two games of the series. What the Rockets really need is a huge performance from one of their volatile bench players. If they can get a 20-point game out of Michael Beasley, Josh Smith or Jason Terry, Houston's chances would greatly improve in their home building. In any case, look for the Warriors to be a projected six-point favorite in Game 3.
