"The second half was unbelievable," Curry said. "This atmosphere is crazy."

The Rockets fashioned their half-time lead on effort, both defensively and on the glass, but when their offence collapsed in the third quarter, their verve dissipated. Houston shot 24 per cent (6 of 25) in the third and while missing all 14 of its 3-point attempts. Curry, meanwhile, finished 5 of 6 from the floor while draining 4 of 5 from beyond the arc as the Warriors shot their way to the lead.

The Rockets missed 27 consecutive 3-point attempts – an NBA play-off record – before PJ Tucker drilled a corner trey with 6:28 left that cut the deficit to 10 points. Houston went 7 of 44 from deep, 15.9 per cent, while Golden State made 16 of 39 3-point attempts, 41 per cent.

Kevin Durant totalled 34 points, five rebounds, and five assists for the Warriors, and Klay Thompson chipped in 19 points despite early foul trouble. Curry also produced nine boards, 10 assists and four steals.

James Harden posted 32 points, six rebounds, six assists and four steals for the Rockets, who again were without guard Chris Paul (right hamstring strain). Harden opened the game 4 of 5 from the floor but finished 12 of 29. Eric Gordon scored 23 points for Houston but shot 2 of 12 from 3-point range, slightly better than Harden's 2 of 13.

While Clint Capela (20 points, nine rebounds) and Tucker (14 points, 12 rebounds) delivered on the interior, the Rockets were undone by their ineffective perimeter options. Trevor Ariza finished 0 of 12, including 0 of 9 on 3-point tries, while Gerald Green made just 1 of 7 shots.

Harden, who gave the Rockets a 48-33 lead with a transition dunk at the 4:54 mark of the second quarter, fed Capela for an alley-oop lay-up for a 61-55 lead with 5:38 left in the third. The Warriors followed with a 17-2 run that included five 3-pointers, four from Curry, whose finger-roll with 3:29 left in the period was the lone basket from inside the arc during the decisive run.