OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Klay Thompson scored 27 points with seven 3-pointers and the Golden State Warriors rolled into the second round of the playoffs without injured superstar Stephen Curry, thoroughly embarrassing the Houston Rockets 114-81 on Wednesday night in Game 5.
Draymond Green added 15 points, nine rebounds and eight assists for the Warriors, who will face the winner of the Clippers-Trail Blazers series. Portland leads 3-2.
Without their MVP, Curry's fellow Splash Brother set the tone from the opening tip. Thompson became the first player in NBA history to make at least seven 3s in consecutive playoff games, while Shaun Livingston scored 16 points for his third double-digit performance in three games while starting in Curry's place this series.
Curry, in a brown sport coat on the bench while nursing his sprained right knee, emphatically bobbed his head, clapped and bowed to Thompson during starter introductions. He even worked the officials during a timeout, and gestured with hand signals to celebrate big plays.
James Harden scored 25 of Houston's 37 first-half points on the way to 35 points, but the Rockets had no chance with a one-man show against the deep defending champions.
So much for Jason Terry's guarantee there would be a Game 6 back in Houston.
Thompson hit a way-back, Curry-like 3 from 31 feet at the top of the arc with 5:37 left in the third. He shot 7 of 11 from long range, 10 for 14 overall.
Curry could only grin, cheer and enjoy every second of seeing his team do so well without him.
The NBA's leading scorer is sidelined for at least two weeks with a sprained MCL that happened when he slipped awkwardly on the final play of the first half of Sunday's Game 4 and his legs split apart. The Warriors learned Monday they would have to push forward without him for the near future and likely most of the second round.
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