The Golden State Warriors have made history yet again.

The two-time defending champions, playing their first game without an injured Kevin Durant, beat the Houston Rockets 118-113 in Game 6 of the teams' hotly-contested second-round series, moving onto the Western Conference Finals for the fifth consecutive season. The last team to accomplish that impressive feat? As Ben Golliver of the Washington Post noted on twitter, Golden State joins the “Showtime” Los Angeles Lakers as the only teams in history to ever make the Western Conference Finals five straight times.

It was a truly team effort for the Warriors sans Durant, who suffered a left calf strain in the third quarter of Game 5. Klay Thompson scored 21 of his 27 points in the first half to ensure a tie at intermission, while Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala, who scored a postseason-high 17 points, were typically stellar on both sides of the ball. Golden State received some much-needed bench production, too, as Kevon Looney and Shaun Livingston combined for 25 points on just 14 shots, while Jordan Bell was also dusted off for 11 productive minutes.

Steph Curry, though, is most to thank for the Warriors' gritty victory – and, at least until the fourth quarter, would have shouldered most of the blame for their loss. The two-time MVP went scoreless in the first half, frustrated by Houston's dogged pursuit defensively and making several careless plays with the ball. But he came alive when it mattered most, dropping 33 points in the second half, including 23 points on 6-of-8 shooting in the fourth quarter when the game was decided.

Next up for Golden State? Making even more history by advancing to their fifth consecutive NBA Finals after beating the Denver Nuggets or Portland Trail Blazers.