Warriors fight back to make summit clash

Stephen Curry inspired a second-half fightback as reigning champion Golden State Warriors booked its fourth consecutive NBA Finals appearance with a 101-92 victory over the Houston Rockets on Monday.

Curry scored 27 points with Kevin Durant adding 34 as the Warriors advanced to an unprecedented fourth Finals meeting in a row against LeBron James and Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Warriors’ Western Conference Finals game seven victory handed them a 4-3 series win, and came after the Rockets had led by as many as 15 points in the first half.

The Warriors had looked vulnerable after a sluggish first half performance that saw them trail 54-43 at half-time.

But just as they have done throughout the playoffs, the Warriors found an extra gear in the third period, with Curry and Durant suddenly finding their range from three-point distance to come roaring back into the contest.

The Warriors outscored the Rockets by 33-15 in the third quarter, surging into a double-digit lead that they never looked like surrendering.

Earlier it looked as if Houston were ready to snap the Golden State-Cleveland monopoly, shrugging off the injury absence of Chris Paul to make a fast start. The Rockets swarmed over the vaunted Warriors offence to keep the visitors firmly on the back foot.

The result: Houston Rockets 92 (Harden 32, Gordon 23, Capela 20, Tucker 14) lost to Golden State Warriors 101 (Durant 34, Curry 27, Thompson 19). Warriors win series 4-3 to enter the NBA Finals.