It did not take long for the Golden State Warriors to take home court advantage from the Houston Rockets on Monday night. The Warriors outscored the Rockets, 119-106, for a 13-point victory in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals. Kevin Durant scored 37 points to lead the Warriors to victory. He offset the dynamic 41-point performance by the Rockets' James Harden.

The game did not get off on the right foot for the Warriors. Draymond Green picked up a technical foul a little over a minute into the game. Moreover, the Rockets jumped out to a 12-3 lead before the Warriors got into the groove of the game.

Despite Rockets' early lead, Warriors managed to produce an effective offense.

Warriors had four players score double figures

Durant made 14-of-27 shots from the field and attempted more shots than anybody on the court, including Harden. He scored from every place on the court. However, Durant did most of his damage in the mid-range with an array of jump shots over shorter defenders. Durant produced an answer each time in the first three quarters. Yet, he was not the main attraction in the final 12 minutes.

Meanwhile, Klay Thompson chipped in with 28 points towards the victory.

Thompson connected on 9-of-18 shots in Game 1. Fifteen of those shot attempts came from beyond the arc. He found open space to knock down three 3-pointers early in the fourth quarter to turn a seven-point game into a double-digit lead.

Stephen Curry finished the game with 18 points, six rebounds, and eight assists. Although Curry struggled to get on track, he played a fairly strong floor game.

In fact, Curry hit 8-of-15 shots from the field. Durant, Thompson, and Curry were the only Warriors to attempt double-digit shots. Andre Iguodala added 11 points for the Warriors on three shot attempts.

The Rockets still tried to take advantage of Curry on the defensive side of the ball on many possessions. However, their stagnant offense wasn't enough to break the Warriors down in the second half.

For the most part, the Rockets relied on Harden and Chris Paul to create shot opportunities for the entire team. Usually, those shot opportunities came on a little of individual dribbles.

Rockets finished the game with 18 assists

Although Harden is one of the best assists makers in the NBA, he only finished with seven dimes. Due to his ball dominant ways, Paul only accounted for three more assists. As a result, the Rockets never really let the other players get involved offensively. Paul added 23 points on 17 shots. Eric Gordon came off the bench to score 15 points on 13 shot attempts, while Clint Capela dropped in 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting. Capela was the lone presence in the paint for the Rockets.

Yet, he only finished the game with six rebounds due to Draymond Green keeping a body on him throughout the first game.

It seems like the Warriors will be content with letting Harden handle the load for the Rockets. Trevor Ariza and P.J. Tucker combined for nine points in the first game. Gerald Green added six points and the rest of the Rockets did not produce a point on Monday. The Warriors delivered their brand of pace and space in the victory. They accounted for 24 assists as a team. Green led all players with nine helpers in the game.

Game 2 is set for Wednesday night at 9 PM. The Warriors will look to take a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference Finals.
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