The Golden State Warriors came into Toyota Center to play the Houston Rockets. Prior to this game, they were on a 2-game losing streak which placed them at seed No. 10 in the West. If they got a win here, it would move them to 9th place after San Antonio lost to Boston. That is what they were aiming for. The Rockets had them beat at first, but a third-quarter collapse ruined their game plan.
The Warriors wasted no time. Draymond Green opened the game with a layup. On the next position, Steph Curry hit a three to tie the game at 5. From there, each team was trading buckets. It was not until there were 4 minutes left that the Rockets took a 6-point lead. However, the Warriors came back and took the lead. Nonetheless, a layup by Jae’Sean Tate with 41 seconds put the Rockets on top once again. They went into the second quarter up 24-22
The second was all Rockets. Just under the halfway mark, the team was up by 8, which forced the Warriors to call timeout. After talking it over, the closest they were able to get was within 3. The Rockets did a good job at containing Curry, who was only 2-of-11 from the field in the first half. Armani Brooks knocked down a basket from downtown at the buzzer to make it a 6-point game going into halftime. The score was 55-49.
About 5 minutes into the third quarter, Curry started to wake up. He hit a 3-pointer which gave the Warriors their first lead since the opening quarter. They were on a 24-0 run and up by 18. The Rockets were completely stagnant and had no choice but to talk it over. Out of the timeout, Christian Wood’s dunk ended the Warriors’ long run. Still, it would not mean anything. Their lead eventually blew to 22. Curry outscored the entire Rockets team 23-12. As a result, the Warriors went into the fourth 88-67.
During the fourth quarter, the Rockets just simply could not keep up. The Warriors were shooting 46% from the field and 39% from deep. A bit past the midway point, Curry and company had 100 points on the board. Although the Rockets led by as much as 11 prior to the break, they took a 26-point beating. The Warriors won 113-87. Curry finished with a 30-piece. Behind him was Green with a 20-piece.
“Bringing that energy is our focus,” Curry said. “When we bring joy and let that flow on the court and I got to lead that, that’s when good things happen.”
Up Next:
Rockets will visit the Knicks on Sunday, May 2nd at 8:00 pm
Warriors will play the Pelicans on Monday, May 3rd at 7:30 pm.
