The Golden State Warriors are just a game away from advancing to the second round of the postseason after they overpowered the eight seeded Houston Rockets with a smashing 121-94 victory at the Toyota Center on Sunday to take a commanding 3-1 lead.

The Warriors are certainly the favorite team to win the best-of-seven first round playoffs series. They have the advantage of immense firepower and bench depth, compared to the Rockets, who had to struggle just to make the final playoff spot.

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Despite the NBA's reigning MVP Stephen Curry's injury (sprained right ankle), the Rockets were able to notch a win in Game 3 with a 97-96 victory and cut the deficit to within a game (2-1). Curry then returned and played in Game 4, but unfortunately suffered another injury (sprained right knee) that has forced him to be sidelined for at least two weeks.

"If it's not two weeks, don't go crazy," Warriors general manager Bob Myers said. "If it's before that, great. If it's after, it's after."

Curry, who was injured in the final seconds of the first half of the fourth game, when he slid awkwardly into a wet spot on the court, is the scoring leader of the NBA this season with an average of 30.1 points per game. He is also averaging 6.7 assists, 5.4 rebounds and a 2.1 steals per contest. Curry made a record of 402 3-pointers in a season, surpassing his own previous mark by 116.

With the team's top three-point shooter not around to make his spectacular long distance shot, it will certainly be a different game. The Warriors may have the edge, but we can not count the Rockets out just yet.

TagsStephen Curry, Golden State Warriors, houston rockets, 2016 nba playoffs, James Harden