The Warriors came into Houston on Wednesday having beaten the Rockets 15 consecutive times, with the last loss coming on Feb. 20, 2020. Home or away, Golden State wore the boss belt.
No longer.
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The winning streak came to an inglorious end for the Warriors, as they were outscored 9-1 over the final 3:23, coughing up a seven-point lead and taking a 91-90 loss in the NBA Cup quarterfinal at Toyota Center.
The Rockets finished the game on a 9-1 run over the final 3:23 🏆
— NBA (@NBA) December 12, 2024
Their defense stepped up with the #EmiratesNBACup Semifinals on the line đź”’ pic.twitter.com/L6WLvcwAQ4
Houston advanced to Las Vegas for a semifinal matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday, while the Warriors will come home to face the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday.
After Jalen Green made two free throws with 3.5 seconds remaining, giving Houston its first lead of the quarter, the Warriors called timeout for a final shot. Stephen Curry, double-teamed, zipped a pass to Brandin Podziemski, whose heave from the right wing was deflected at the buzzer.
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Three Warriors scored in double figures, as Jonathan Kuminga totaled a team-high 20 points, with Curry and Buddy Hield each finishing with 19.
Here are three observations from Golden State’s 15th clutch game of the 2024-25 NBA season:
Halftime Recovery; Fourth Quarter Falls Flat
After an abysmal first half, the Warriors came out after intermission with an entirely different attitude. Perhaps angry with their first 24 minutes, they found enough offense to remind the Rockets that they still can score in bunches.
Golden State outscored Houston 32-24 in the third quarter – with Hield pouring in 11 points – to take a 69-68 lead into the fourth. They found themselves.
Buddy drills the go-ahead 3đź‘Ś pic.twitter.com/lrYDVJJqIl
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) December 12, 2024
The Warriors pushed it to another level the fourth quarter, playing searing defense, with Draymond Green leading the way, to limit Houston 16 points over the first eight-plus minutes. That was enough for the Warriors to take a seven-point lead into the final four minutes.
While the defense stayed solid, the offense stumbled down the stretch. After Kuminga’s 3-pointer gave the Warriors an 89-82 lead with 3:38 left, they were undone by missing their final five shots and committing two turnovers – including a shot-clock violation – in the final minutes.
Brutal Beginning
The first half was, for both teams, an abomination to the game of basketball. And not because either side was playing lockdown defense.
The Warriors were at their worst, submitting an 18-point first quarter deserving of the trash bin, and followed it with a 19-point second quarter that belongs in the incinerator.
They shot 16 of 38 from the field, 4 of 22 from beyond the arc, 1 of 4 from the line and headed for the locker room with 37 points, their lowest first-half output this season.
Golden State committed 14 turnovers in the half, their highest total in any half this season. Those gifts turned into 16 points for the Rockets.
The Warriors had to be thankful that Houston, despite bringing more early energy, also had a tough time finding buckets. The Rockets, missing 12 of 13 shots from distance, mustered only 44 points. That was good enough for a seven-point halftime lead.
Bench Struggles Again
Golden State’s latest starting lineup features the two players, Hield and Kuminga, who were essential to its bench building enough momentum in the first month of the season to gain widespread praise.
Without Hield and Kuminga to bring the offensive thunder, buckets from reserves is becoming a challenge not unlike eating soup with a fork.
Six different Warriors came off the bench: Podziemski, Lindy Waters III, Kyle Anderson, Kevon Looney, Trayce Jackson-Davis and Pat Spencer. They combined for seven points in the first half before recovering to put up 17 in the second.
This comes after Golden State’s bench, again with Hield and Kuminga joining Curry in the starting lineup for the first time, was outscored 40-23 Sunday in a win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.