West Conf. Finals Game 2: Golden State Warriors 105-127 Houston Rockets - Warriors' Player Ratings

The Warriors had a tough outing in their second game at the Toyota Center, as they regressed on both ends of the floor from their first outing of the series - a game which they had won by a handy 13-point margin. A blowout loss in this game means that they go back home with their tails between their legs, as their performance was disappointing for the most part.

The Warriors committed way too many turnovers at the start of the game, and this affected their rhythm on the offensive end. Given how the Houston Rockets pushed the ball in transition, the Warriors defense was routinely found wanting as their opponents were able to score from the most efficient areas of the court in a manner that will be concerning for coach Steve Kerr.

The Rockets were touted as their biggest challenge yet in the Kevin Durant era, and that prediction seems to be true based on the evidence from this game.

Let's take a look at the how the individual players performed for the Warriors:

Steph Curry - 5/10

Curry lays it up and in

Stat line: 16 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, 7-of-19 (37% FG), 1-of-8 (12.5% 3-pointers)

Stephen Curry had another off day on the offensive end, and Steve Kerr joked in the post-game press conference that his lingering injury was "13.7%" responsible for his bad game. Based on his performance, that seems to be true as Curry's usually assured ballhandling looked off, while he was a step slower on defense than his capacity.

He struggled mightily from downtown, as he did in a couple of games during the Conference Semifinals and in Game 1 - he shot just 1-of-8 from that region. While his injury troubles may also have been a factor, the fact of the matter is that he was jacking up ill-advised shots for the most part. His only three came in the 4th quarter.

He was good while driving the ball, but he found no space to shoot mid-range jumpers, swarmed as he was by the Rockets' defenders. He was also attacked mercilessly by Chris Paul and James Harden, who looked to go on the offensive against him. Curry would do well to put this game behind him.

Klay Thompson - 5/10

Thompson guarding Clint Capela

Stat line: 8 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 3-of-11 (27.3% FG), 2-of-4 (50% 3-point)

China Klay was off his game this time around, and the Warriors sorely missed the scoring punch that was so prominent in their Game 1 victory. All of his 8 points came in the first half, and he had fewer scoring opportunities than he did in the initial phases of Game 1.

After netting his first points with a mid-range jumper, Thompson went cold inside the arc and was unable to convert any of his shot attempts from that range. Nor was he able to lay it into the hole. The Splash Brother is also adept at scoring off cuts, but the excellent Rockets defense was able to prevent him from making them.

Thompson's defensive excellence was also neutralized for the large part by the Rockets' strategy of switching Curry onto the ballhandler - normally Chris Paul or James Harden. He was forced to guard the interior against Capela.

Andre Iguodala - 4/10

Golden State Warriors v Houston Rockets - Game One

Stat line: 5 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 2-of-4 (50% FG), 0-of-1 on threes

Iggy was featured once more in the Warriors' Hampton 5 starting lineup, but this was one of his least effective outings of the postseason. Throughout his career, Iguodala has always had an impact as a premier defender, but the Rockets eliminated his excellent defense from being a factor as they refused to run any offense via the players for whom he was the primary defender.

On the playmaking end as well, Andre was unable to make much of a dent as the Rockets swarmed the paint and ran the Warriors off the 3-point line, preventing him from tallying more than one dime.

Dre's struggles from downtown this season have been well-documented, and he was not a scoring threat for the most part.

Kevin Durant - 8.5/10

Stat line: 38 points, 3 rebounds,13-of-22 (59%) from the field, 3-of-7 on threes (42.9%)

Durant has often been referred to as the Warriors' ultimate cheat code. He is the God of mid-range shots, creating separation from defenders with his guard-like skills or just rising over them and connecting. The Rockets played excellent defense on him, but he has been the best pure scorer in the game for a long time, so there wasn't much they could do other than put a hand to his face and hope that his shot wouldn't fall in.

Such an event happened only 9 times through the game, and 4 times from downtown. Durant hung 38 points in a repeat of his Game 1 performance, and he might have emerged as the victor on a different night as the Rockets had no answer for him.

Durant was once again excellent defensively, but his playmaking numbers took a severe hit as the Warriors tallied only 21 assists as a team. That was the only knock on another pristine performance from the Durantula.

Draymond Green - 7/10

Green guarding Chris Paul

Stat line: 6 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks, 2-of-5 (40% fg), 0-of-2 on threes

Draymond Green is the most consistent Warriors player other than Kevin Durant. Even if his shot isn't falling on the night, Green is the most versatile defender in the league, and he did what he could to hold the Warriors' defense together on the night.

Green's statline reflects his overall impact on the game, although he's had several games better than this one. He did not take many shots as his 3-point shot was not falling on the night, but also because the Rockets did not allow him to cause any damage from his normally dangerous cuts.

He would be best served playing as a playmaker from the post region - a part of the game which Golden State were just unable to capitalize today.

Kevon Looney - 5/10

Looney contests a shot by Chris Paul

Stat line: 4 points, 5 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block, 2-of-4 shooting from the floor (50%)

Looney did an excellent job of guarding out on the perimeter in Game 1, but unlike that one, in which the Warriors were neck-and-neck with the Rockets for much of the game, they were chasing the game from behind in this one.

Looney's lack of offensive skill and scoring punch limited his minutes, but he did make an undeniable impact on the game during the game time he saw. He had a block and a steal each in the 3rd quarter, but he missed a couple of easy tip-ins and this caused him to be taken off the court.

Expect him to be a crucial member of their rotation in the games to come.

Shaun Livingston - 5/10

Livingston makes a two-handed dunk

Stat line: 5 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 2-of-3 from the field, 1-of-2 free throws

Shaun Livingston has for long been the Warriors' most important bench player since he provides them the length to guard multiple positions on switches while possessing an above-average mid-range game.

He was not quite effective in Game 2, as he looked passive and did not look to take the ball under his control. His tally of 2 assists while playing without Draymond on the floor, for the most part, is a testament to this.

He was adequate on defense, but one would expect more of the veteran.

Nick Young - 5/10

Stat line: 6 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 2-of-6 from the field (all his shots were threes)

Swaggy P's role has risen to prominence in this series since the Warriors need all of their 3-point shooters to rise to the occasion to keep pace with the Rockets' relentless barrage of shots from downtown.

He will need better outings than this, however. He shot only 2-of-6 from 3-point territory, and despite having a slick handle and a good mid-range game, Young was unable to capitalize on his scoring ability from spots other than those behind the 3-point arc.

He was adequate as a playmaker and defender, but there is a large scope for improvement in his showing.

Note: David West, Zaza Pachulia, Jordan Bell and Quinn Cook are all unrated as they appeared for less than 8 minutes.