MVP runner-up James Harden had a chance to be the hero at the end of the game, but it was league MVP Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson’s defense late that prevented Harden from getting a shot off in the final seconds of the Warriors’ 99-98 Game 2 win over the Houston Rockets Thursday night.

Curry’s 33 points led the way for the Golden State Warriors, who now have a 2-0 series lead in the Western Conference Finals.

The Warriors had a high amount of turnovers in the first quarter (7 first quarter turnovers) that kept the Rockets in the game, and prevented Golden State from blowing the game wide open. Curry and Thompson were making their jumpshots early on in the game and Warriors as a team shot 64 percent from the field, but were only up eight points at the end of the first quarter. Curry ended the first quarter 15 points on 5 for 9 FGs, and 4-6 from the 3-point line.

Golden State came out strong in the 2nd quarter with an 8-0 run to push their eight point lead to 16, all with Curry on the bench. Houston’s poor defense during this stretch allowed the Warriors open looks at the basket with their ball movement and dribble penetration. As bad as Houston played for most of the first half, they were able to use a 14-2 run, led by James Harden to end the second quarter, and tie the game at 55. Harden scored on a vast array of step back jumpers and drives to the basket during the run.

Houston continued its scrappy play from the latter stages of the second quarter into the third quarter, and was able to open up a six point lead early in the third quarter. Golden State responded with a 7-0 run of their own, with Curry leading the way in the run midway through the third to climb back on top by one.

The fourth quarter saw a back and forth battle between the two teams as Golden State would have a lead between five and seven points, but Houston would fight, scrap, and claw their way back to putting game pressure on the Warriors. The Rockets didn’t give up when their backs were against the wall, and when they were down late in the fourth quarter, they made an adjustment defensively, and started sending double teams to Steph Curry every time the Warriors put him in ball screens. That defensive pressure caused a couple of turnovers for the Warriors, and Houston fought back to make it a one possession game in the final seconds.

Harden, who scored 12 of his game-high 38 points in the fourth quarter to give the Rockets a chance late in the game, had the ball on a broken play where Golden State’s Harrison Barnes missed a reverse layup. As he was making his move towards the basket, Curry and Thompson were there defensively, and prevented him from driving into the lane. Harden made a quick pass to Dwight Howard who was trailing the play, and Howard passed it back to Harden, who was smothered by Curry and Thompson, and ultimately lost the ball without getting a shot up at the rim. Houston had a timeout remaining, but they elected not to call it in the final moments. Using the timeout would’ve given the Rockets an opportunity to draw up a play for Harden to score on the last possession.

Harden had his best stat line of the playoffs to date and nearly notched a triple double with 38 points, 10 rebounds, and 9 assists. Dwight Howard was also big for Houston with a double double, 19 points and 17 rebounds. Josh Smith struggled offensively with only 10 points on 5 of 17 shooting from the floor. If the Rockets want to make this series competitive, Smith will need to step up and help Harden and Howard offensively.

For Golden State, four of their five starters were in double figures. Klay Thompson had 13 points, Andrew Bogut scored 14 points and grabbed 8 rebounds, and Draymond Green had 12 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists. They will look to Game 3 on the road in Houston to go up 3-0 in the series, and essentially lock up an NBA Finals berth as no team in the history of the NBA has ever come back from being down three games to zero and win a series.

Game 3 is Saturday 9 PM / ET on ESPN.