League MVP Stephen Curry definitely showed why he was voted Most Valuable Player last night with a great performance in Game 1.  Curry poured in 34 points and hit two clutch free throws late in the fourth quarter to seal the game for the Warriors.

Houston looked ready to run the Warriors out of the arena in the first half, scoring in transition and hitting open shots in building a 16-point lead in the second quarter, all with their star center Dwight Howard, having a hobbled knee after a collision with Josh Smith early in the game. Howard would eventually return to the game minutes later. His status for Game 2 is a game time decision.

Golden State switched to their small lineup by putting 6-foot-7 Draymond Green at the center position, and ended up erasing the large deficit with a 21-4 run to help the Warriors lead 58-55 at halftime. Shaun Livingston scored 14 of his big 18 points in that second quarter.

In the second half, it was the James Harden andSteph Curry show.The runner-up in the MVP voting (Harden) and Curry put on shows with Harden scoring on a vast array of step-back jumpers and drivinglayups, and Curry was consistently hitting jump shots and 3-pointers to match Harden. Curry’s ability to match Harden kept the Warriors ahead in the game throughout the second half.

The Warriors used a crucial 11-0 fourth quarter run to gain separation from the Rockets and Houston was able to make a run late, but Golden State held on for the victory. In the end, the play of Steph Curry, Shaun Livingston, and Draymond Green were key in the Warriors Game 1 victory. In going to their small lineup, Head Coach Steve Kerr may have found an anecdote that can be effective against Houston. Yes, they will be giving up size on the front line, but they will be able to get out on the break and space the floor better with a bevy of good shooters in the lineup.

It will be interesting to see what type of adjustments Houston and Head Coach Kevin McHale come up with for Game 2. The Rockets will have to come up with a game plan to slow down Steph Curry, and they will also need to figure out a way to win if Dwight Howard isn’t able to play in Game 2. The Rockets have been without Howard for long stretches this season, and have been able to win without him, but they haven’t gone up against the number one team in the league every time in those games either. The two games the Rockets played the Warriors without Howard, Golden State won both of those games pretty convincingly.

Game 2 is tonight in Oakland, 9 PM ET on ESPN.