HOUSTON -- Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob wants Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson to stay with the organization "forever."

Lacob happily made that declaration in the wake of Friday night's 118-113, series-clinching Game 6 victory over the Houston Rockets after watching the pair combine for 60 points and lead the Warriors to their fifth straight Western Conference finals appearance.

"Obviously, my intention is to keep them as part of our organization forever," Lacob told ESPN. "That's our goal. We'll see what happens."

Lacob's words are notable, given the amount of speculation regarding Thompson's future with the team heading into this summer. While much of the focus has surrounded Kevin Durant and whether he will stay with the Warriors, Thompson will also be a free agent at season's end and is expected to earn a maximum contract. The Warriors are the only team that has the ability to offer Thompson a five-year deal worth $188 million or a supermax deal worth $221 million if Thompson makes an All-NBA team.

NBA protocol does not allow Lacob to publicly state he will give Thompson a full max extension, but his words were the clearest sign yet that Thompson's professional marriage with the Warriors will continue for years to come.

Thompson had said repeatedly throughout the season that he wanted to spend his entire career with the Warriors, a feeling shared throughout the organization and echoed recently by Warriors coach Steve Kerr.

Lacob and Thompson shared a joyous moment together late in Friday's game, after Thompson iced it with a 3-pointer with 36.1 seconds left that gave the Warriors a six-point lead. Thompson turned around after hitting the shot and pointed right at Lacob, who was sitting courtside and pointed back at Thompson.

Many inside the Toyota Center and on social media believed that Thompson was sending his boss a clear message of "pay me my money," but Thompson brushed that idea aside after the game.

"Nah," Thompson told ESPN. "It was just living in the moment. That's all it was."

Lacob said he loved having that connection with Thompson, whom he has grown fond of since buying the team in 2010.

"We've had a few of those," Lacob said. "I have a special bond with him. I always have. He's the first player, since I bought the team, that we drafted. The very first one. And I just have always felt an incredible attachment. People make fun of me a little bit -- I always say I love Klay. I love Klay. I just do. He's so real. He's so real. There's no BS. And there's something about him, I have a very special relationship with him.

"That was so great when he came over. I almost did what I did in Oklahoma City, but that'd be too much. They'd kill me in Houston."

Lacob was referring to Game 6 of 2016 Western Conference finals, when Thompson drained a playoff-record 11 3-pointers to lift the Warriors past the Oklahoma City Thunder. Afterward, an overjoyed Lacob dropped to his knees and bowed before Thompson.

On Friday night, Thompson made sure that Lacob and the rest of the Warriors headed back to Oakland beaming as the ensuing victory set off a raucous celebration inside the visitors locker room a few moments later. Thompson said he was appreciative Lacob has always been in his corner.

"I can feel his passion," Thompson said. "We've been here before. And s---, he's more into it than most fans. You got to respect someone's passion like that, man. Especially ownership. You hear a lot of stories [around the league] about people not caring, but Joe's cared since day one, so it felt good to just have that moment with him because I know how much he cares for us to win and how much he wants to be successful."

Thompson's ability to raise his level of play in the biggest of games doesn't surprise his teammates such as Curry, who says he always believes Thompson will play at a high level when they need him most.

"It's like he's in the park," Curry said of Thompson. "Just putting up shots in a little chain-link net or something. Just enjoying playing basketball, and his personality and his perspective on life really makes him different in these moments, because I don't know if he really even feels pressure. He's just out there hooping. The shots he was taking in the first half, understanding the situation, confidence to knock them down, was huge for us. Yeah, we don't win this game tonight without everybody on the court, but especially Klay that first half, to give us life and give us a reason to be in it in the second half."

For Lacob, the ability to watch Curry and Thompson take over one more time on the game's playoff stage left him beaming as he headed out of the arena.

"So much fun," Lacob said. "You kind of expect it. That's who they are. They've done it now so many times. Mark Jackson, of all people ... he called them the greatest backcourt of all time, or greatest shooting backcourt of all time, and they've lived up to that. And they're clutch. They're amazing individuals. They're both great guys. They're just terrific people."

HOUSTON -- After tipping his cap to the Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta defiantly guaranteed that James Harden will lead his franchise to championships.

"They kicked our ass on our home court," Fertitta said after the Warriors eliminated the Rockets for the fourth time in five seasons, ending Houston's season with a 118-113 win in Friday's Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinals. "They beat us by 10 points in the fourth quarter. It's unacceptable, OK? We just have to be better.

"I know that we're going to rise to the occasion and our time is going to come. James is 30 years old [in August]. ... Hakeem [Olajuwon] didn't win his first championship until [31]. I can promise you, we're going to win some championships with James Harden, because we are not going to sit here. We will go to battle every year. We're going to have a strong offseason, and we're going to do whatever we need to do to be a better team. We are not going to sit on our hands, I can promise you that."

The Rockets' attempts to upgrade their roster after last season fizzled. Houston, coming off an NBA-best 65-win season and pushing the Warriors to seven games in the West finals, made budget-conscious moves, allowing starting small forward Trevor Ariza to leave in free agency and filling out the rotation by signing veterans Carmelo Anthony, James Ennis III and Michael Carter-Williams to minimum contracts. All three of the veteran additions fell out of the rotation and were eventually traded in transactions that helped Houston avoid paying the luxury tax.

The Rockets remodeled their roster on the fly and righted the ship, led by Harden's historically elite offensive season. Houston headed into the playoffs with momentum, winning the most games in the league after the All-Star break but failed again to finally get past Golden State. The Warriors closed out Game 5 after All-NBA forward Kevin Durant strained his calf late in the third quarter and rallied to win Game 6 while he watched from home.

"They showed why they're the champions," Fertitta said. "We're gonna learn from it, and we're gonna come back next year, and we're gonna kick their ass at some point. I can promise you that."

Several of the Rockets seemed shell-shocked after the season-ending loss. Chris Paul, who played by far his best game of the series with 27 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists, muttered that Houston had "to go to the drawing board" to search for solutions.

"This one's going to leave a mark," Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni said. "This is not something you just get over with. Definitely not going to get over it in this press conference or tomorrow or the next day. This one hurts. We didn't play our best, and to beat these guys, you've got to play your best. It's almost like, in a boxing match, you've got to knock the champion out. We didn't knock them out."

Harden lamented that the Rockets "let a lot of opportunities slip away" in each loss of the series. However, like Fertitta, Harden expressed extreme confidence that Houston would contend again next season and find a way to win against the Warriors.

"I know what we need to do," Harden said. "I know exactly what we need to do. We'll figure it out this summer."

Asked for specifics, Harden declined to elaborate.

Fertitta indicated that the Rockets needed to improve intangibles such as killer instinct.

"I'm a fighter," said Fertitta, who has owned the franchise for two seasons. "That's my culture, and I think the longer that I own this team, they're going to pick up more of my culture. We had [the Warriors]. We should have stepped on their throat the other night and cut their throat. It's not, 'Let's make a few shots and win.' It's step on their throat and let's take it back to Houston and end it in six. We'll pick up a few Tilman-isms along the way in the next few years."

With Paul and Harden locked into long-term maximum contracts, the Rockets have limited avenues to make upgrades to a roster that features four starters who will be in their 30s next season. Houston will have available the $5.7 million midlevel exception, which the Rockets did not use this season. Fertitta also strongly hinted the Rockets will aggressively explore their options in the trade market.

"I'm very fortunate to have the starting five that I have, but if we can make this team better, we're going to make this team better," Fertitta said. "That's just a fact. I have a great team. I love all five of my starting five, but it's my job to make sure that we put the best team that we can put on the court next year."

HOUSTON -- Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry scored all 33 of his points in the second half, including 23 in the fourth quarter, to propel the Warriors to a series-clinching 118-113 Game 6 win over the Houston Rockets on Friday night.

After shooting 0-for-5 from the field in the first half and failing to register a point in the first 24 minutes of a postseason game for the first time in his career, Curry responded with one of the most prolific second-half performances in his storied career.

"That's what Steph does," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. "I actually told his mom and dad after the game, I said, 'If that game didn't personify Steph Curry, I don't know what did.' He's a guy who can make some plays that leave you scratching your head -- the fouls, some of the turnovers, not tonight, but sometimes he just makes plays and you kinda look around and think, 'What is he doing?' But most of the time, he makes these incredible plays, and he's just fearless. And that's what makes him who he is."

Curry, who struggled at various points throughout the series to find a rhythm against a tough Rockets defense, was given a huge ovation by his teammates after walking into the Warriors' locker room after the game.

"It did not surprise me one bit," Warriors swingman Klay Thompson said of Curry's performance. "The man is a competitor, a champion, and on top of all that he just plays with such great heart. He's our leader. His composure is unbelievable, as well."

As the Warriors continued celebrating long after Game 6 was over, even Curry couldn't help but smile when asked to describe how poorly he played in the first half of the game.

"That's a great question," Curry said. "I was pretty terrible. I just didn't make a shot, fouling. I think the only thing I did well was not turn the ball over for the 12 minutes I was out there on the floor. So I find a positive in everything."

Curry's performance was even more crucial than usual, given that Warriors star forward Kevin Durant was back in the Bay Area, unable to travel because of a calf injury suffered in Game 5.

With the win, the Warriors will host the winner of the Portland Trail Blazers-Denver Nuggets series in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals on Tuesday night at Oracle Arena. They'll do so with the expectation that Durant, who will be reevaluated in a week, will be able to return at some point during the series.

Curry and his teammates know they'll need Durant healthy to win the NBA championship for the third straight year, but they enjoyed the fact that they were an underdog heading into Game 6.

"We had an opportunity to -- it's kind of weird to say -- prove a lot of people wrong knowing what we accomplished," Curry said. "But it's a lot of talking in the last 24, 48 hours about what we should and should not do in this series with KD out. I talked about it a lot, K has been unbelievable in this playoff run. We don't get to a Game 6 opportunity to close it out without him playing unbelievable and spectacular basketball and carrying us the first 11 games.

"The least we can do is come in here and get a win. Get some rest before the Western Conference finals and give him the chance to get healthy and go chase another championship. It's special. I know he's back at home celebrating and can't wait to get back and prepare for the next series."

All the chatter surrounding his game and his struggles at times during this series clearly motivated Curry, who suffered a dislocated left middle finger in Game 2 and went just 7-for-23 in Game 3 and 9-for-23 in Game 5. He said he understood that people were questioning his game, and he took it upon himself to carry the Warriors down the stretch even though his finger was still clearly bothering him.

After hearing that LeBron James and Dwyane Wade had chided Curry's critics on their Twitter accounts after his Game 6 heroics, Curry said, "I've heard a lot of noise this series, for sure. I'll just leave it at that. Whether it's positive, negative, whatever the case is -- I know what I'm capable of. It's bigger than me, so I just don't get caught up in that.

"I don't need any extra motivation. I don't need to hear who I am as a player; I know that. And so my confidence never wavers in those type of moments. I obviously appreciate those words, and champions recognize champions and what it takes to win games like tonight and do what we've been able to do these last five years. So hopefully more of that to come."

HOUSTON -- It wasn't a championship celebration. But it was close.

As each player made his way into the Golden State Warriors' locker room after their Game 6 118-113 elimination win over the Houston Rockets in the Western Conference semifinals Friday, there were waves of yells, applause and backslapping. Eleven of them had played and nine of them had scored. Each had a moment to be appreciated.

"Great rebound." "Awesome getting that loose ball." "Huge putback."

As each man entered the room, he turned and waited for the next, creating a huddle at the end of a tunnel of coaches, staff members and support personnel. The so-called "core four" came last, like a wedding party entering a rocking reception.

First Andre Iguodala and then Draymond Green, grabbing each other and hugging tightly. Then Klay Thompson, who barked with joy in rare form from the stoic star. Finally, Stephen Curry, his left hand throbbing from the reaggravation of a left finger injury, a 4-year-old pair of shoes on his feet, and a wide smile spread across his face after one of the most bizarre and wonderful nights of his career.

"This was one of the best wins we've had in my nine years as owner," said Warriors owner Joe Lacob, who has raised three championship trophies.

To understand this feeling requires some nuance. The Warriors were basking in this victory because they'd beaten their rival on the rival's home floor, sending the Rockets into a miserable offseason for a second year in a row and fourth time in five years.

And because the Warriors had done it without Kevin Durant, who was back in the Bay Area receiving treatment on a calf injury that was supposed to have been a game-changing moment in this series. It turned out to be -- just not in the way it first seemed.

It was Winston Churchill who advised never to let a good crisis go to waste. From the huddle the Warriors' players formed Wednesday night when Durant limped up the tunnel, that's exactly what they did. Instead of pouting or crumbling, the Warriors these past few days created a complex moment composed of nostalgia, vindication and appreciation.

It was not sinister. Durant was there both spiritually and virtually. His uniform hung at his traditional locker in the Toyota Center. People were texting him, sending him photos and FaceTiming him.

But without Durant actually playing, the accomplishment magnified. The Warriors hadn't won a series without Durant in three years. They haven't won a title without him since 2015, the version of shoes that Curry took out of storage in a move that was part motivation and part symbolism.

"I wanted to lean into it," Curry said of the shoe choice, a nod to the widespread expectation for him to return to a pre-Durant version of himself.

Those within the locker room will tell you this has been the hardest season of Golden State's five-year run at the top. The combination of mental fatigue, uncertainty and tension drained the fun out of this journey. Maybe some of the players will write about it in their memoirs or, in the modern-day spirit, talk about it in the documentaries their personal media companies produce.

Naturally, the Warriors have allowed themselves to think of a world without Durant next season after he hits free agency. After the pleasantries and talk of families are exhausted, Durant's future has been a leading item of gossip in every corner of the NBA for months now. And it will be into the future.

The Warriors know he's a vital piece of their championship makeup and they badly want him to stay. But, of course, they believe -- especially those core four -- that they can still hunt without him. They all have egos. They've all learned to suppress them for the good of the whole.

But that 2015 title ring remains the most special. You never forget your first.

For this win to come the way it did:

• Iguodala crushed Houston's defensive strategy by nailing five 3-pointers.

• Green approached another triple-double.

• Thompson exploded for a huge 21-point first half.

• Curry had one of the finest 10-minute stretches in his career with 23 fourth-quarter points to close it out.

It all rekindled that old "strength in numbers" flame.

Combined with the Game 5 win when the Warriors overcame Durant's injury thanks to late-game Curry heroics, well, let's just say coach Steve Kerr's postgame moniker of "f---ing giants" was heard throughout the locker room.

As was Chris Paul's name, surrounded by curse words. The Warriors dearly loved this win and they always love beating Paul.

"I'm damn proud of our team, for sure," Curry said. "It's huge."

The coming together despite being depleted -- it's easy to forget Golden State is also down center DeMarcus Cousins, who was expected to be a factor in this series when he joined the team -- only amplified the wound it inflicted on the Rockets.

It wasn't that the Rockets played poorly in losing this series 4-2 -- James Harden scored a game-high 35 points despite missing 10 of his first 15 shots, and Paul had his best game of the series with 27 points and six assists. Rather, it was that given an opportunity, the Rockets couldn't play great as a team. There's a chance that shortcoming will gnaw at them for a long time. Combined with last season's miss, it's got the potential to be damaging long term.

When presented the same opportunity, the Warriors did play great, especially in that charmed final quarter in which Curry drilled three 3-pointers and their defense held Houston scoreless for a stretch of nearly four minutes.

"This one is going to leave a mark," Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni said.

Fittingly, that's exactly what the Warriors were trying to do.

NEW YORK -- Back home from a frustrating road trip, the New York Mets immediately busted out of their offensive funk against the worst team in the majors.

Amed Rosario hit a grand slam during an eight-run outburst that marked the Mets' biggest first inning in three decades, and New York rolled to an 11-2 rout of the Miami Marlins on Friday night.

"It was great. It was a lot of fun to kind of break out as a team," Michael Conforto said. "It's something we've been waiting for."

Conforto and Jeff McNeil also homered for the previously slumping Mets, who set a season best with 15 hits and matched their high for runs. Zack Wheeler (3-2) struck out 11 over seven innings, reaching double digits for the third time in four outings.

Earlier in the day, manager Mickey Callaway met with Mets chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon and general manager Brodie Van Wagenen.

"This meeting had a different focus. This meeting was about, how can we be better? How can we get going in the right direction?" Callaway said. "None of us are satisfied with what's been going on to this point.

"We talked about a lot and we understand that things have to be better."

Right off the bat, they were.

After totaling only 15 runs during a 1-5 trip to Milwaukee and San Diego, the Mets broke loose against Pablo Lopez (2-5) and the Marlins (10-28). New York sent 13 batters to the plate in the first, with J.D. Davis and Robinson Cano each getting two of the team's eight hits.

The first run scored on Lopez's wild pitch. Slow-footed Wilson Ramos legged out a dribbler up the third-base line for an RBI single, and Brandon Nimmo drew a bases-loaded walk.

Rosario, batting eighth, sent the next pitch just over the right-center fence for his first major league slam -- instantly giving him a career-high four RBIs.

Wheeler struck out, making him the first batter retired by Lopez. But when Cano added a two-out RBI single, the Mets (18-20) had their largest first inning since they also scored eight times at Philadelphia on June 16, 1989.

"You don't see that type of inning very often," Callaway said. "I think everybody took a deep breath after that. Like, OK, we can still score runs."

The inning could have been even worse for Lopez, too, if right fielder Brian Anderson hadn't wheeled around to make a spectacular throw that nabbed McNeil trying to go first to third on Davis' single for the first out.

McNeil led off with a bunt single, diving into first to evade a tag, and reached safely four times. Conforto was 3-for-3 with three runs and reached safely all five times up. Davis finished with three hits.

"Now is as good a time as any time to start making our move," Conforto said. "We're going to put it all together here very soon."

Conforto homered into the right-field upper deck leading off the second. McNeil connected in the third against the 23-year-old Lopez, who was coming off six shutout innings against Atlanta and had not allowed an earned run in two of his previous three starts.

"Didn't look like he had life on his fastball. Didn't look like he was locating very well. Things got snowballing and usually that's tough," Miami manager Don Mattingly said. "So, it was one of those nights."

Lopez, who beat Mets ace Jacob deGrom 5-2 in his major league debut June 30 last year, gave up 10 runs and 10 hits over three innings, easily the worst of his 18 career starts.

"Everything happened very quick. I kept falling behind," Lopez said. "You can only get better after this."

BEEN A WHILE

The Mets scored more runs in the first inning than they had during an entire game since a 9-0 win over the Phillies on April 23. New York mustered only 16 runs over its previous eight games -- one of which went 18 innings.

The only other time in franchise history they hung a snowman in the first at home was July 12, 1979, against the Dodgers. The club record is nine first-inning runs at San Francisco in August 1988.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Marlins: 1B-OF Garrett Cooper (bruised left hand) is moving from Class A Jupiter to Triple-A New Orleans on his rehab assignment. ... RHP Julian Fernandez (Tommy John surgery) is scheduled to throw 20 pitches of live batting practice Saturday.

Mets: The team decided against activating veteran infielder Jed Lowrie from the injured list Friday, as originally anticipated. Lowrie got hurt early in spring training and has been sidelined all season because of a capsule sprain in his left knee. He was 1-for-7 with Class A St. Lucie and 1-for-16 at Triple-A Syracuse during the first six games of his rehab assignment. Callaway said the Mets planned to re-evaluate Saturday. Lowrie went 3-for-4 with a home run and a walk Friday night for Syracuse. He played nine innings at third base. ... LHP Steven Matz is slated to throw a bullpen Saturday, an important step after he received an injection of cortisone and lidocaine for his aching left forearm early this week. Matz was placed on the 10-day injured list Thursday, retroactive to May 5, with radial nerve discomfort, and the Mets hope he can return to the rotation next week.

UP NEXT

Marlins: Sandy Alcantara (1-3, 4.93 ERA) pitches Saturday night, his fourth assignment against the Mets in 14 major league starts. The 23-year-old right-hander is 0-3 in his last five outings overall.

Mets: National League Cy Young Award winner deGrom (2-4, 3.60 ERA) has lost four straight decisions, and New York hasn't scored in either of his past two games. In his second outing this season, deGrom struck out a career-high 14 over seven shutout innings at Miami. Still, he is just 5-6 with a 3.36 ERA in 17 starts against the Marlins.