WASHINGTON, May 10 (Xinhua) -- The Golden State Warriors overcame Kevin Durant's absence to defeat the Houston Rockets 118-113 in Game 6 on Friday to reach the NBA West Conference Finals with a total score of 4-2.
Stephen Curry, after going scoreless for the Warriors in the first half, erupted for 33 points in the second, and Klay Thompson was terrific throughout, finishing with 27 points.
Late in the third quarter of Wednesday's Game 5, Golden State's top scorer Durant strained his right calf after attempting a jump shot, and he immediately left for the locker room. The Warriors surged to a pivotal win without him, and then kept their momentum going in Game 6 held in Houston on Friday.
James Harden had 35 points in the loss for Houston, and Chris Paul added 27 points after struggling for much of the series. But that was not enough.
With the victory, the two-time defending champion Golden State reached the conference finals for the fifth straight year and eliminated Houston for the fourth time in five seasons.
The Warriors, the top seed in the West, will face the Denver Nuggets or the Portland Trail Blazers in the conference finals. The Nuggets and Blazers are tied at three games apiece in their semifinal series, with Game 7 scheduled for Sunday in Denver.
