Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – The Houston Rockets thrashed the Golden State Warriors 131-116 to fend off elimination in the NBA playoffs on Wednesday, narrowing the gap in their Western Conference series to 3-2. Fred VanVleet scored 26 points, Amen Thompson added 25, and Dillon Brooks chipped in 24 for the Rockets, who led by as many as 31 points and were up by 29 when Warriors coach Steve Kerr waved the white flag, pulling Stephen Curry and the rest of his starters with 5:50 left in the third quarter.
With their season on the line after an agonizing loss in a game-four thriller, the Rockets blasted out of the gate. They connected on 64.7 percent of their shots in the first quarter on the way to a 40-24 lead. VanVleet drilled three of Houston’s six first-quarter three-pointers, and the Rockets made all 13 of their free throws in their opening period blitz. The Warriors looked helpless to respond. Curry and Jimmy Butler failed to score in the opening frame, Curry missing two attempts from the field and Butler three. The Warriors didn’t get to the free throw line and turned the ball over five times in the first period.
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Curry drained a three-pointer for his first basket of the game midway through the second quarter. He connected on three from beyond the arc in the period, but the Warriors could make few inroads in the face of Houston’s suffocating defense, and the Rockets led 76-49 at halftime. Houston forward Thompson had five steals in the first half. He picked Curry’s pocket and raced up the court for a dunk with 1:03 left in the half, drawing a foul and converting the free throw. VanVleet capped the half with a driving layup.
Kerr’s decision to pull his starters gave some rest to 37-year-old Curry — playing through a thumb injury — Draymond Green, and Butler, who missed game three with a pelvic injury. Curry finished with 13 points and Butler scored eight for the Warriors, whose top scorer was reserve Moses Moody with 25. Golden State can still wrap up the series when they host game six on Friday.
After a tense game four, things got chippy again with less than five minutes remaining, with Warriors reserve Pat Spencer ejected for head-butting Houston center Alperen Sengun — who had a near triple-double of 15 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists. The scuffle started when Spencer shoved Brooks under the basket. Sengun responded with some choice words in the face of Spencer, who responded with the head-butt before Warriors teammate Trayce Jackson-Davis gave Sengun a two-handed shove to the chest.
The winner of the series will play either the Los Angeles Lakers or Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round. The Timberwolves took a 3-1 lead into their game against LeBron James and the Lakers in Los Angeles later Wednesday. James, 40, is chasing a fifth NBA title in his 22nd season, the Lakers surging to the third seed in the West after the stunning acquisition of Luka Doncic in February. Thirteen teams have rallied from 3-1 down to win an NBA playoff series. They include James’s Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2016 NBA Finals — when they beat the Warriors to win the title.
© 2024 AFP
