The Splash Brothers drowned James Harden just before the buzzer and the Warriors survived the Rockets, 99-98, to take Game 2 of the Western Conference finals.
The Warriors saw an eight-point lead trimmed to one following a Harden to Dwight Howard alley-oop with 33.0 seconds left. After Harrison Barnes missed a reverse layup at the other end, the Rockets raced the ball up the court rather than draw up a final play.
Harden was double-teamed by Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson with time winding down and curiously passed to Howard on the perimeter. Howard hot-potatoed the ball right back, Curry poked the ball between Harden's legs, and the clock struck zero before anyone gained control.
Curry scored 33 points to follow up his 34-point showing in the series opener, and Andrew Bogut stepped up with 14 points, eight rebounds and five blocks.
The final sequence spoiled an otherwise sublime game from Harden, who finished with 38 points on 13-of-21 shooting and added 10 rebounds and nine assists.
The Warriors take a 2-0 series lead to Houston on Saturday thanks to the final defensive stop and another clutch performance from the league MVP.
>>Curry LeBron Headline First Team All-NBA
NBA MVP Stephen Curry and four-time MVP LeBron James headline the 2014-15 All-NBA First Team.
Curry and James were the only unanimous First-Team selections, receiving all 129 votes for a total of 645 points in the balloting.
Both have their teams in the conference finals. Curry's Warriors are in the West title series for the first time since 1976 and James is back in the East finals for a fifth straight year, this time with the Cavaliers after his return to Cleveland following four years in Miami.
Curry was a Second-Team selection last year and is a First-Team choice for the first time. James is a First-Team member for the ninth time, tying Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and Oscar Robertson for the third-most all-time.
Joining the duo as First-Team members are Houston guard James Harden, New Orleans forward/center Anthony Davis and Memphis center Marc Gasol. Harden, a First-Team choice for the second year in a row, received 125 First-Team votes. Davis (119 First-Team votes) and Gasol (65 First-Team votes) earned First-Team status for the first time.
The Second Team features forwards LaMarcus Aldridge of Portland and DeMarcus Cousins of Sacramento, Chicago center Pau Gasol and guards Russell Westbrook of Oklahoma City and Chris Paul of the Los Angeles Clippers.
Selections for the Third Team are forwards Tim Duncan of San Antonio and Blake Griffin of the Clippers, center DeAndre Jordan of the Clippers and guards Klay Thompson of Golden State and Kyrie Irving of Cleveland.
