1 week Ago
The Houston Rockets lost to the Golden State Warriors 104-93. Fred VanVleet led the Rockets as he had his best game of the playoffs. VanVleet started off hot for Houston, scoring all nine of its points on 3-for-3 shooting.
Off-ball screening for him to make his second three and screening for him to get fouled with an and-one was key to get a 9-7 lead early. Steven Adams checked in the game with Jabari Smith Jr. and Alperen Sengun late in the first quarter.
The Rockets had a small lead on the Warriors, but the big men on the floor for them helped them extended their lead. Golden State and Houston traded buckets towards the end of the period, and after the Warriors cut the lead to just one, a switch to put Draymond Green on Jalen Green led to a three pointer from Green, giving the Rockets a four-point lead to end the period. VanVleet had 13 in the first quarter.
Smith Jr.'s spacing was a benefit for the Rockets in the second quarter, as it helped them create shots and get him shots of his own. He also took the role of defending Steph Curry, and did not let him get open for any shots.
Houston gained a 12-point lead, causing Golden State to call a timeout almost halfway through the period. Curry had 13 points in the second quarter, and they all came in the second half of the period. Once he heated up, the Warriors' momentum raised and their off-ball movement got Curry open shots.
The Rockets ended the first half up 49-46. Houston maintained their lead to start the third quarter, but Curry's off-ball movement made the Rockets confused. Golden State was able to gain a lead with just over seven minutes left to play in the period.
The rest of the fourth period was a shoot out between the two teams, as they were trading buckets back and forth. Smith Jr. checked in for Houston, and his impact continued to show.
Curry checked out for Golden State after playing 30 of the 34 minutes when he went to the bench, and the Rockets were able to get a 71-69 lead going into the fourth quarter. Late in the fourth period, the Warriors got a four-point lead off of a drive and pass out from Curry to Gary Payton II. Houston was going back-and-forth making shots until that point in the game when they doubled Curry and lost Payton II.
Payton II then made a dunk to put Golden State up by six with just under four minutes left to play in the game. The Rockets face the Golden State Warriors for game 4 on Monday night at Chase Center. Tip-off is set for 9:00 p.
m. CST..
