Kevin Durant continues to deliver in the postseason for the Golden State Warriors.

He scored 37 points on Monday night to lead the Warriors to a 119-106 win in the long-awaited showdown with the Houston Rockets in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals.

But if it were up to him Shon Coleman Jersey , he would have done even more.

Durant wasn’t happy with coach Steve Kerr when he took him out in late in the third quarter and loudly asked his coach why he was putting him on the bench. Durant, who played just more than 40 minutes, was asked if he’d prefer to play the entire 48 minutes.

”Probably so,” Durant said.

Kerr acknowledged that he should have left him in at that point and raved about his performance after his fourth 30-point game this postseason.

”This is why anybody would want him on their team … I don’t know what you do to guard him,” Kerr said. ”He can get any shot he wants.”

Starting a playoff series on the road for the first time since 2014, the Warriors trailed by as many as 9 early, but had evened it up by halftime and used a big run at the beginning of the fourth quarter to pull away.

”We’re in the Western Conference finals they are going to come out with a lot of energy,” Durant said. ”We’re going to take that first punch and keep punching.”

Game 2 is Wednesday night in Houston.

Eric Gordon opened the final period with a 3-pointer to get the top-seeded Rockets within 4, but Thompson scored the first eight points of a 13-4 run to make it 100-87 with about eight minutes left.

Houston used a 9-3 spurt, where James Harden scored five Donte Jackson Jersey , to cut the lead to 103-96 with less than five minutes to go. But Thompson struck again, hitting a wide open 3 to leave the Warriors ahead by 10 with four minutes left.

Harden scored 41 to lead the Rockets, who lost at home for the second time this postseason.

”You’re not going to come in and just knock them out,” Houston coach Mike D’Antoni said. ”There were too many times where we had mental lapses. We didn’t switch properly, turned the ball over and missed too many layups. We need to do a better job of staying up mentally.”

Now the Rockets are left to regroup after losing their leg up in the homecourt advantage they worked all season for.

”It’s nice to have home court,” D’Antoni said. ”(But) we don’t have it. Now we’ve got to go get it.”

Steph Curry added 18 for the Warriors, who are in the conference finals for a franchise-record fourth straight time. It’s Houston’s first trip since 2015 when Golden State won the series in five games.

”I think he’s going to get even better as the series goes on, which is good for us,” Kerr said of Curry.

The Warriors, who are the second seed in the West Ryan Hewitt Jersey , opened a playoff series away from Oracle Arena for the first time since 2014 when they lost to the Los Angeles Clippers 4-3 in the opening round.

Houston struggled to slow down Durant all night, and things got even worse when Trevor Ariza picked up his fifth foul with about 10 minutes left in the third with Golden State up by 3. Durant made two baskets for the Warriors around one by Chris Paul that left the Warriors up 73-68 a couple of minutes later.

”He’s one of the best scorers ever,” D’Antoni said of Durant. ”I thought he was extremely good. But we can withstand that. We can’t withstand turning the ball over and giving up so many wide open 3s.”

Gordon added a layup for Houston after that, but Golden State scored the next six points, with a 3-pointer from Thompson, to make it 79-70 with about 4 1/2 minutes left in the third.

Houston ended a scoring drought of more than two minutes with a dunk by Harden seconds later and the Warriors followed with another run, scoring six straight points to extend it to 85-72 with just more than two minutes left in the third.

The Rockets rediscovered their offense after that, scoring the next eight points, powered by 3s from Gordon and Gerald Green, to get within 85-80 with about a minute left in the quarter.

Durant added two free throws to close out the quarter and leave the Warriors up 87-80 entering the fourth.

”Houston Briean Boddy-Calhoun Jersey , they never stop,” Durant said. ”They are always in the game with 3-point shots. We try to get good shots every time down and defend on the other end.”

TIP-INS

Warriors: Curry extended his NBA playoff record by making at least one 3-pointer in his 80th straight playoff game. … Draymond Green received a technical early in the first quarter when he pushed Harden after a shot. … Curry missed his first free throw of the playoffs in the third quarter after making all 19 attempts in the first two rounds.

Rockets: Paul added 23 points and 11 rebounds. … Clint Capela had 12 points, six rebounds and two blocks. … Gordon added 15 points off the bench.

THEY SAID IT

Draymond Green on getting the technical so early: ”I was a bit overzealous, a bit amped up, but I’d rather that any day than coming out flat.”

UP NEXT

After Game 2 the series moves to Oracle Arena for games 3 and 4 on Sunday and Tuesday.

—

>The Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles bolstered their formidable pass rush with another top-level defensive lineman.The Eagles acquired three-time Pro Bowl defensive end Michael Bennett from the Seattle Seahawks on Wednesday, three people familiar with the trade told The Associated Press. The deal won’t be officially announced until the NFL’s league year opens next Wednesday. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to release the trade information.Seattle gets wide receiver Marcus Johnson and a fifth-round pick, while Philadelphia also receives a seventh-round pick.Bennett had 8 陆 sacks last season and 54 in his nine-year career. The 32-year-old Bennett has three years remaining on his contract, with a base salary of just $1.65 million in 2018. That number jumps to $6 million in 2019 and $7.5 million in 2020.The Eagles will have to make roster moves to accommodate Bennett because they already are over the salary cap. Defensive end Vinny Curry is a likely candidate to be traded or released. Curry started 19 games this season, including playoffs, had three sacks and has three years left on a five-year Zay Jones Jersey , $47 million deal.Bennett joins a deep front unit that includes Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham, Derek Barnett, Chris Long and Tim Jernigan. He probably won’t face double-teaming as much and could thrive in defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz’s aggressive system.The outspoken Bennett has been heavily involved in social activism and fits in nicely in Philadelphia’s locker room with Long and safety Malcolm Jenkins, who are leaders in those areas.Seattle could be moving on from another defensive star. Cornerback Richard Sherman also is on the trading block.Johnson has five catches for 45 yards in 10 career games.AP Sports Writer Tim Booth contributed to this report.AP NFL website: Adidas Gabriel Landeskog Jersey ,