HOUSTON — Stephen Curry scored 40 points and the Golden State Warriors made it look easy Saturday night, beating the Houston Rockets 115-80 to take a 3-0 lead in the Western Conference finals.

The Warriors won the first two games by just five points combined. There would be no such drama in this one, with Curry leading them to a 26-point advantage in the second quarter.

Now Curry has Golden State one victory from its first trip to the NBA finals since 1975. Game 4 is Monday night in Houston.

Curry was unstoppable, making seven 3-pointers to break the NBA record for 3s in the playoffs in a season with 64.

James Harden finished with 17 points behind 10-of-11 free-throw shooting, but made just 3 of 16 shots as the Rockets dropped three straight for the first time all season.

Dwight Howard, who played despite a knee injury suffered in Game 1, had 14 points and 14 rebounds.

Draymond Green and Klay Thompson added 17 points apiece for the Warriors.

Curry had 37 points after three quarters and went to the bench for good with about 51/2 minutes remaining after his seventh 3-pointer made it 103-73. He also had seven rebounds and five assists.

The Warriors were in control of this one from the start and were up by 12 at the end of the first. But things got out of hand quickly when Curry heated up.

A pair of free throws by Harden cut the lead to nine points with about 6 minutes left in the quarter before Curry took over. He scored the next six points as part of a 16-5 run where he scored all but two of the Warriors’ points to push the lead to 54-34.

NOTES

HAWKS: Guard Kyle Korver is done for the playoffs because of an ankle injury, another blow to a team already trailing Cleveland 2-0 in the Eastern Conference finals.

He has a severe high right ankle sprain, and a foot and ankle specialist will determine the course of treatment, the team said.

While diving for a loose ball, Cleveland’s Matthew Dellavedova slammed into the side of Korver’s right ankle late in the third quarter of Game 2 on Friday night. Korver hobbled off the court to the locker room and didn’t return.

The Cavaliers won 94-82 and are home for Game 3 on Sunday night.

Korver, 34, was selected for his first All-Star Game but slumped late in the season and continued to struggle in the playoffs. He was hitting just 39 percent from the field and averaging 11.1 points in the playoffs.

CAVALIERS: All-Star guard Kyrie Irving played one-on-one while wearing a brace on his left knee, but remains questionable for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals.

Irving sat out Cleveland’s Game 2 win Friday in Atlanta after visiting famed surgeon Dr. James Andrews in Florida earlier in the day. Irving has been slowed by tendinitis in his left knee, an injury that resulted from him compensating for a sprained right foot.

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