Harden keeps Houston alive as Warriors' Curry survives major injury scare
NBA MVP comes back after sickening tumble, while Rockets manage to avoid elimination
The Golden State Warriors survived a major injury scare to NBA MVP Stephen Curry but still lost the game as a pumped up Houston Rockets staved off playoff elimination with a 128-115 victory.
Curry went down in the second quarter of Game Four in the Western Conference Finals, falling hard on his upper back and neck after flipping over the back of Rockets forward Trevor Ariza, silencing a previously raucous Houston home crowd.
The star point guard remained on the floor below the basket for a few minutes to receive treatment before gently rising to his feet and walking slowly back to the locker room as he left the game with a head contusion.
However, Curry surprisingly returned with about six minutes left in the third after tests determined he had not suffered a concussion but he was unable to change the momentum of the game as the Rockets rode a monumental 45-point effort from James Harden to avoid the sweep.
Harden also pulled down nine rebounds, while center Dwight Howard notched 14 points and 12 boards as the Rockets ensured they would live to fight another day, pulling back to 3-1 down in the best-of-seven series.