Andrew Bogut was largely a spectator as his Golden State Warriors downed the Houston Rockets in a thriller while Aron Baynes sent a scare through the Boston Celtics, aggravating an ankle injury in their domination of the NBA's top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
The defending champion Warriors beat the Rockets 104-100 in the much- anticipated game one of the Western Conference semi-finals series in Oakland on Sunday.
The Warriors and Rockets fought a tense fourth quarter, but with 24 seconds to go Steph Curry hit a game-winning three-pointer.
"Our guys competed like crazy and so did their guys, obviously. It was basketball at its highest level," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said.
James Harden top-scored for Houston with 35 points and Chris Paul had 17.
Kevin Durant led the Warriors with 35 points while Curry added 18.
Bogut started on the bench and only spent four minutes on the court in the second-quarter, scoring two points and grabbing three rebounds.
Kerr went with what he described as the Warriors' "best line-up" to combat Harden and Paul, with veteran guard/forward Andre Iguodala starting alongside usual starters Curry, Durant, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.
Kerr said he would likely use the same starting five in Wednesday's (AEST) game two in Oakland.
Bogut said the Rockets had vastly improved since he last played for the Warriors in 2016.
"It's going to be a tough series," Bogut said.
"We turned the ball over more than what we would have liked and fouled more than what we would have liked but still won the game so that's a good sign."
The Celtics crushed the Bucks 112-90 in game one of the Eastern Conference semi-final series in Milwaukee.
Baynes played a significant role in taming the Bucks' NBA MVP candidate Giannis Antetokounmpo early, with the Greek star held to just eight points in the first half.
Baynes rolled his left ankle late in the third-quarter while fighting for a rebound.
Game two is in Milwaukee on Wednesday (AEST). AAP
