Houston Rockets: 3 takeaways from Game 2 loss vs. Warriors

After falling short in a thrilling series opener, the Houston Rockets received yet another punch at the hands of the Golden State Warriors in Game 2 of the 2019 Western Conference semifinals.

Despite playing through an early stretch of the night where matters once appeared to look all but bleak, the Houston Rockets displayed an strong level of fortitude in Game 2 by fighting to withstand multiple runs in one of the league’s toughest road environments.

However, it would not prove to be enough.

Kevin Durant poured in a game-high 29 points alongside Klay Thompson‘s 21 points on 8-for-18 shooting from the field, guiding the Golden State Warriors to a 115-109 wire-to-wire victory in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals.

"“We had our chances towards the end,” Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni told reporters following the loss. “We were only three or four down and they made some big plays. “We just didn’t get it done.”"

Houston — which trailed by double digits on multiple instances throughout the contest — stayed within striking distance early on with several scoring runs before clawing all the way back to cut the defending champs’ lead to three points with 6:44 remaining in the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, a late triple and dunk courtesy of Stephen Curry and Andre Iguodala helped kickstart a 9-0 Golden State run it would never look back from.

James Harden, who departed the game for a brief period due to suffering a lacerated left eyelid, led the way for the Rockets with 29 points and seven rebounds in a noble effort.

Here are the three takeaways from Clutch City’s Game 2 outing.