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Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals between the Golden State Warriors (58-24; 5-2) and Houston Rockets (54-28; 4-2) proved to be filled with much controversy. Golden State defeated Houston 104-101 to jump out to a 1-0 series lead.
The highly anticipated Game 2 emanates live from Oracle Arena on Tuesday night.
The game is scheduled to start at 10:30 p.m. ET and will be televised on TNT. If you don’t have cable, you can watch a live stream of TNT on your computer, phone, Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV or other streaming device via one of the following cable-free, live-TV streaming services:
TNT is one of 85-plus live TV channels included in the main FuboTV bundle, which is largely tailored towards sports.
You can start a free 7-day trial of FuboTV right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the game on your computer via the FuboTV website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast or other supported device via the FuboTV app.
If you can’t watch live, FuboTV comes with 30 hours of cloud DVR space, as well as a 72-hour look-back feature, which allows you to watch the game (and other programs) on-demand within three days of its conclusion, even if you don’t record it.
In addition to a Netflix-like on-demand streaming library, Hulu also offers a bundle of 60-plus live TV channels, including TNT.
You can sign up for “Hulu with Live TV” right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the game on your computer via the Hulu website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Echo Show, or other streaming device via the Hulu app.
If you can’t watch live, Hulu With Live TV comes with 50 hours of cloud DVR space, as well as the option to upgrade to “Enhanced Cloud DVR,” which gives you 200 hours of space and the ability to fast-forward through commercials.
PS Vue–which doesn’t require an actual PlayStation console to sign up or watch–offers four different live-TV channel packages, all of which include TNT, but if you plan on keeping Vue for the rest of the NBA playoffs, you can get the “Core” bundle (65-plus channels, including ESPN, TNT and NBA TV) for $10 off your first two months right now.
You can start a free 5-day trial of PS Vue right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the game on your computer via the PS Vue website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, PlayStation (3 or 4), or other supported device via the PS Vue app.
If you can’t watch live, PS Vue comes with cloud DVR.
Rockets vs Warriors Game 2 Preview
Entering Sunday, many believed, once again, the Warriors and Rockets were the two best teams in the NBA heading into this year’s postseason. Officiating, though, was the dominant headline coming out of Sunday, as Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni, as well as Most Valuable Player front-runner James Harden, believes the referee missed several calls, which ended up costing Houston a chance to secure a series-opening win.
Rockets-Warriors is one of the premiere series of this entire postseason, and yet after Game 1, no one was talking about basketball. How officiating became the storyline, even for the NBA players sitting at home.
Several calls were in dispute, including a three-point attempt by Harden that was defended by Golden State’s Draymond Green in the final seconds of the game. According to the NBA’s “Last Two Minute” report, only a Steph Curry foul on Eric Gordon, which occurs near the sideline, is the only blatant foul call the officiating crew missed:
According to the Last Two Minute Report:
1) Chris Paul didn’t foul Kevin Durant
2) Draymond Green didn’t foul James Harden
3) Steph Curry fouled Eric Gordon
Harden has led the NBA in free-throw attempts for five of the past seven years. In addition to Harden’s postgame comments, Chris Paul’s suspension looms large; Paul received a second technical foul toward the end of game 1, resulting in an automatic ejection.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr is focused on Game 2, and not about the officiating that loomed over Game 1. Kerr told reporters during a Monday workout:
“Every coach in the league will tell you: You watch the tape afterward and you think, ‘Man, we got (jobbed),'” Kerr claimed. “The reality is you get some, you lose some. The refs do the best job they can, and then you move on to the next game. So I’m disappointed this has become the whole narrative when it really should be about two great teams competing against each other.”
Lost in the chaos of Game 1 was just how unbelievably good Kevin Durant was for large stretches. Durant matched Harden’s performance with a game-high 35 points. The main difference between the two All-NBA players is Durant was slightly (11-of-25 from the field) more efficient than Harden (9-of-28), who was clearly looking for some extra help.
All five Warriors starters reached double-figures in scoring, which was important as the bench only combined for 10 total points. Draymond Green had a classic “Draymond Green” game, scoring 14 points while adding nine rebounds and nine assists. Steph Curry (18 points), Andre Iguodala (14) and Klay Thompsn (13) all had respectable Game 1 efforts.
The Rockets’ bench faired no better, only adding 17 points combined. Eric Gordon, who only shot 4-of-13 from three-point range, finished with 27 points, while Paul finished with 17 points himself. Despite the lack of secondary scoring, Houston went punch for punch with the two-time defending NBA Champions on their home floor in Game 1, and with a more complete team effort, can easily tie this series heading back to Texas for Game 3 later this week.