Oakland, California, May 28 (EFE).– League MVP Stephen Curry showed no ill effects from a nasty fall earlier this week, leading the Golden State Warriors to a series-clinching 104-90 victory over the Houston Rockets and an NBA Finals berth for the first time since 1975.

Curry scored 26 points here Wednesday night at the ORACLE Arena as Golden State won the Western Conference Finals four games to one, although he shot only 7-of-21 from the field and 3-of-11 from 3-point range.

He also dished out six assists and recorded five steals.

Small forward Harrison Barnes was a surprise contributor for the Warriors in Game 5, scoring 24 points and grabbing seven rebounds.

He provided Golden State a much-needed fourth-quarter offensive boost when shooting guard Klay Thompson was forced to leave the game after Rockets forward Trevor Ariza struck him in the side of the head with his knee.

Thompson, who had gotten Ariza in the air with a pump fake, was initially said to have suffered only a cut around the ear but doctors later diagnosed him with concussion-like symptoms, and it is now unclear what his status will be for the NBA Finals.

The injury to Thompson came one game after Curry emerged relatively unscathed from a scary fall in another play involving Ariza on Monday.

In that instance, Curry landed on his neck and suffered a head contusion after falling for a pump fake and jumping and tumbling over the top of the Rockets player.

Thompson was the Warriors’ top scorer in the first half on Wednesday night and finished the game with 20 points, while reserve center Festus Ezeli gave Golden State valuable minutes and ended up with 12 points, nine rebounds and two blocked shots.

On a night when Houston and Golden State shot just 35 percent and 41 percent, respectively, from the field, the Warriors’ advantage on the boards (19 offensive rebounds to 10) and in turnovers (16 compared to 20) was critical and translated into 17 more field-goal attempts.

Rockets star guard James Harden was responsible for many of those turnovers, committing 13 overall, and also had a miserable night from the field, making just two of his 11 attempts.

He finished with 14 points thanks mainly to 10-of-13 shooting from the free-throw line.

Center Dwight Howard led the Rockets with 18 points and 16 rebounds.

“This is special. This is a checkpoint for our main goal. We’ve still got four more wins (to go),” Curry said in a post-game interview.

Next up for the Warriors in the NBA Finals will be four-time league MVP LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, who on Tuesday night wrapped up a four-game sweep of the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Cavaliers, who have never won the championship, reached the NBA Finals in 2007 during James’ first stint with Cleveland, but they were swept by the San Antonio Spurs.

The Warriors franchise has won three titles, two (1947 and 1956) when the team was based in Philadelphia and one (1975) since relocating to Northern California.

The Finals, which gets underway on June 4, will be a contest pitting two rookie coaches: the Cavaliers’ David Blatt and the Warriors’ Steve Kerr.

James, who played the past four seasons with the Miami Heat, winning two championships, will be the first player to play in five straight NBA Finals since a group of Boston Celtics players did so more than 40 years ago. EFE