The Golden State Warriors will have the chance to eliminate the Houston Rockets this Friday in Game 6 of their Western Conference semifinal. But will Kevin Durant be with them when they tip off at 9 PM ET on ESPN? Durant suffered a strained right calf during the third quarter of Wednesday’s Game 5 and did not return to the court; his status for Game 6 is up in the air at press time.
With Durant sidelined, the Rockets were able to cover Wednesday’s game as 6-point road dogs, even though they lost 104-99. That brings Houston’s record in this series to 4-1 ATS. They paid out despite shooting just 12-of-41 (29.3%) from three-point range, and despite falling behind by 20 points late in the first half.
Durant’s absence put a lot of pressure on Golden State’s depleted bench during the second half. Shaun Livingston has been a useful role player on their previous title-winning teams, but is clearly limited by a sore left hip, while Andre Iguodala (knee) has been moved into the starting lineup in the wake of DeMarcus Cousins’ torn quad. The Rockets are relatively healthy going into Game 6 at home.
