Stephen Curry heats up late to lift the Warriors over the Rockets
Stephen Curry scored 14 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter, burying four late 3-pointers to help the Golden State Warriors beat the Houston Rockets 106-95 on Sunday.
With 6:42 remaining in the game, the Rockets took their first lead since late in the first quarter on a driving layup by Jalen Green, but the Warriors reclaimed the lead at 88-87 when Draymond Green scored off a foul. Green missed the ensuing free throw, but the Warriors grabbed the offensive rebound, and Curry followed with a three-pointer at 5:09 to extend the Warriors' lead to 91-87.
Curry then hit three more three-pointers, the last with 3:19 remaining to give the Warriors a 100-89 lead. In addition to his 6-for-14 performance from beyond the arc, he had seven rebounds and six assists. Klay Thompson scored 19 points and Gary Payton II added 15 off the bench as the Warriors shot 18 of 45 from beyond the arc.
The Rockets were led by Jalen Green, who had 21 points and nine rebounds. Alperen Sengun contributed 19 points and seven assists, and Jabari Smith Jr. had 14 points and eight rebounds. Houston finished with a 46-24 advantage in paint points and only seven turnovers.
The Warriors responded to an early Rockets spurt with team-wide perimeter shooting, and when Payton drilled a 3-pointer off an inbounds pass with 1:39 left in the first quarter, the Warriors took their first lead, 23-22.
The Warriors then opened the second period with a 10-0 run that gave them a 12-point lead and fully capitalized on the Rockets' 0-for-8 start from the field. Houston got within four points later, but Golden State led at the break 57-47.
Thompson led the Warriors with 16 points in the first half, while Jalen Green led Houston with 13.
The Rockets appeared to be unable to get over the hump in the third quarter, closing to within 72-69 on a 13-4 run only for Payton to hit a corner three-pointer to restore the lead to two possessions. Golden State led 81-75 going into the fourth quarter.
SportsLigue