Kevin Durant scored 20 points, Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson added 19 each, and Reed Sheppard hit three fourth-quarter 3-pointers as the Houston Rockets beat the Golden State Warriors 115-108 on Wednesday night at Toyota Center, snapping Golden State’s eight-game winning streak, per the Associated Press.
Houston won its second straight and improved to 9-3 (6-1 at home). Golden State fell to 8-4 and played most of the night without Stephen Curry, who left in the first quarter with right abdominal soreness and did not return, per the AP. The Rockets led for 97% of the game, per ESPN, and never trailed. Read our Rockets vs. Warriors pregame.
How It Happened
- First quarter: Curry hit a 28-foot 3 with about 7 1/2 minutes left, grabbed his right side and headed to the locker room. Durant had 11 points in the period, and Houston led 35-20 after one.
- Halftime: Golden State outscored Houston 28-21 in the second quarter, and the Rockets took a 56-48 lead into the break. Thompson had just 2 points on 0-of-2 shooting in the first half.
- Third quarter: Thompson took over after halftime, scoring 15 points on 7-of-7 shooting in the period. Golden State still won the quarter 31-29, and Houston led 85-79 after three. With 21 seconds left in the period, Marcus Smart was ejected after throwing a punch that grazed Warriors center Charles Bassey’s nose. Officials reviewed the play and gave Smart a Flagrant 2, per USA Today.
- Fourth quarter: Jabari Smith Jr. opened the period with a 28-foot 3, but Georges Niang and De’Anthony Melton answered from deep to cut it to 88-85 with about 10 minutes left, per the AP. Houston responded with eight straight: a Thompson alley-oop from Sengun, then back-to-back Sheppard 3s from 28 and 27 feet, both assisted by Sengun, to make it 96-85.
- The close: A Brandin Podziemski four-point play capped a 6-0 Warriors run that got them within five. Sheppard answered with a 26-foot 3 off a VanVleet assist, and VanVleet followed with a 27-footer to make it 102-91 midway through the quarter. VanVleet added a 31-foot 3 off a Durant assist with 3:32 left, and Durant’s step-back jumper with 2:07 to go kept the Warriors at a distance.
Sheppard Delivers Late Again
For the second straight game, Sheppard came through with big shots in the fourth quarter. After hitting two key fourth-quarter 3s in Houston’s Monday win over Denver, he hit all three of his 3-pointers in a span of about 2 1/2 minutes Wednesday to turn a three-point game into a double-digit lead. He finished with 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting and 3-of-6 from deep in 20 minutes off the bench, per ESPN.
Amen Takes Over After Halftime
Thompson had a rough first half, with just 2 points on 0-of-2 shooting, then became the catalyst after the break. He scored 15 points on 7-of-7 shooting in the third quarter and finished the second half with 17 points on 8-of-9 shooting. He ended with 19 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two blocks, per ESPN.
Sengun had 19 points on 8-of-14 shooting, 13 rebounds and nine assists, including assists on both of Sheppard’s first two 3s. VanVleet scored 18 on 6-of-9 shooting, hit four 3s, had six assists and three steals, and finished a game-best plus-25.
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Rockets Box Score Leaders
- Kevin Durant: 20 points (8-17 FG, 1-4 3PT, 3-4 FT), 4 rebounds, 5 assists in 34 minutes
- Alperen Sengun: 19 points (8-14 FG), 13 rebounds, 9 assists, 1 steal, 1 block in 37 minutes
- Amen Thompson: 19 points (8-11 FG, 3-5 FT), 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks
- Fred VanVleet: 18 points (6-9 FG, 4-7 3PT), 6 assists, 3 steals, plus-25
- Jabari Smith Jr.: 14 points (5-14 FG, 2-9 3PT), 8 rebounds, 3 blocks, plus-20
- Reed Sheppard: 13 points (5-9 FG, 3-6 3PT) in 20 minutes off the bench
- Marcus Smart: 6 points (2-2 3PT) in 17 minutes before his ejection
- Tari Eason: 6 points (2-11 FG), 3 rebounds
Warriors Leaders
Rookie Yaxel Lendeborg led Golden State with 25 points and 10 rebounds on 9-of-19 shooting. Podziemski added 22 points with four 3s. LJ Cryer scored 13 off the bench, Melton had 11, and Draymond Green finished with seven points and seven assists. Curry had three points in six minutes before leaving. He entered the night second in the NBA at 30.6 points per game, per the AP.
By the Numbers
- Houston shot 44-of-87 (50.6%) from the field and 13-of-36 (36.1%) from 3, per ESPN. Golden State shot 36-of-88 (40.9%) and 17-of-51 (33.3%).
- The Rockets won the paint 50-34 and fast-break points 19-7.
- Houston had 26 assists on 44 made baskets. Golden State had 22 assists.
- Golden State outrebounded Houston 48-40, including 16-9 on the offensive glass.
- The Rockets scored 23 points off 13 Warriors turnovers. Golden State scored 18 off Houston’s 12.
- Houston’s largest lead was 18. The Warriors never led.
- Golden State came in averaging 120.4 points per game, per the AP.
What’s Next
The Rockets host the Utah Jazz on Friday, Nov. 13, at Toyota Center. Golden State visits San Antonio on Friday as its five-game road trip continues.
Houston was again without centers Steven Adams and Clint Capela.
Follow all of LFG Houston’s Rockets coverage.
Stats via the official box score at ESPN. Game details via the Associated Press, ESPN and NBA.com play-by-play. Curry injury details via the AP. Smart ejection details via USA Today. No Houston Chronicle or The Athletic recap was available at draft time. Official NBA and Rockets YouTube highlights were not posted yet.
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