HOUSTON — Kevin Durant scored 34 points and the Golden State Warriors are heading to their fourth straight NBA finals after fighting back from another big deficit with a huge third quarter and beating the Houston Rockets 101-92 in Game 7 of the Western Conference finals on Monday night.

Stephen Curry and the defending champions trailed by as many as 15 in the first half after falling behind 17 in Game 6.

Curry, who finished with 27 points, scored 14 of Golden State’s 33 points in the third quarter as Houston’s shooting didn’t just go cold, it froze. The Rockets missed all 14 3-point attempts in that quarter as part of 27 misses from long range.

The Warriors will host LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 on Thursday night.

CELTICS: General Manager Danny Ainge says point guard Kyrie Irving was unable to attend Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals because he was recovering from nasal surgery.

Ainge said on Monday that Irving had a deviated septum. The injury occurred in November when he was hit in the face by teammate Aron Baynes. Irving wore a mask while healing from the facial fracture.

Irving has not played since March because of a knee injury.