Andrew Bogut’s defense leads Warriors to win over Houston

Stephen Curry and James Harden combined to score 72 points, but it was Bogut’s defensive presence that led the Warriors to a 123-110 victory over the Rockets on Tuesday night at Oracle Arena.

“Bogut was phenomenal — the best game he’s played in a long time,” said Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, who had an unusually short postgame news conference — partly because he was feeling ill.

Bogut had 11 rebounds, a season-high six blocked shots and three steals to lead a Warriors defense that limited Houston to 42.5 percent shooting in an otherwise fast-paced, high-level game played on national TV.

[...] the 7-footer, who had just five double-digit scoring games in the first 50, tossed in 13 points as the Warriors (47-4) won their 42nd consecutive regular-season game at home.

The Warriors said Kerr’s illness isn’t expected to keep him from flying with the team to Phoenix for Wednesday’s game, which starts a string of seven road games.

Curry had 35 points, nine assists and five rebounds in a fascinating duel of starts and stops against Harden (37 points, five assists, five rebounds), who stands by his conviction that he should have been the 2014-15 MVP.

Houston scored the first eight points of the second half, including a Corey Brewer three-pointer that gave the Rockets their first lead at 71-69.

After the game had no lead changes or ties in the first two quarters, there were seven lead changes and four ties in the third quarter, including a 93-93 score at the end of the period after Iguodala hit a three-pointer in the closing minute.