Fred VanVleet scored 29 points as the Houston Rockets achieve a stunning 115-107 win over the Golden State Warriors.
In pursuit of historical accomplishment, the Rockets aim to be only the 14th team to come back from a 3-1 deficit and secure an NBA playoff series win when they face off at home on Sunday.
Fred VanVleet consistently proved pivotal with 29 points, and Alperen Sengun contributed 21 points and 14 rebounds for the Rockets. The team dominated most of the game and silenced the 18,000-strong crowd at the Warriors’ Chase Center, with a remarkable fourth-quarter surge that included a 12-0 run, increasing their lead to as much as 17 points.
Amen Thompson contributed 14 points for Houston, while veteran New Zealand center Steven Adams was a formidable force off the bench, scoring 17 points and connecting on all four of his field-goal attempts, while also providing solid defense.
Adams helped the Rockets neutralize the Warriors’ offense with three of Houston’s five blocked shots to keep an offense led by Stephen Curry in check.
Curry managed to score 29 points but only connected on nine of 23 shots from the field and had five turnovers.
Jimmy Butler added 27 points for the Warriors, but the rest of the starting lineup failed to reach double figures.
“Just make everything tough,” VanVleet said of the Rockets’ strategy as they took a two-point lead into the fourth quarter. “We know what they’re capable of. You want to contest everything … Our youth and athleticism can wear them down over the game.
Although the Warriors were overwhelmed in Game 5, they managed a slightly better start in this game, but the first quarter’s 10 lead changes saw Houston leading 25-21. A Curry three-pointer tied the score at 46-46 with 1:59 left in the first half, but again the Rockets pulled away, leading 53-48 at halftime, a period in which the Warriors committed 11 of 17 turnovers.
“Ball security is the key to this whole series,” said Warriors coach Steve Kerr.
Houston entered the fourth quarter leading 86-84, but VanVleet quickly stepped up, draining a three-pointer and drawing a foul before converting the free throw, a prelude to what followed.
“The key play was the four-point play to start the fourth quarter,” Kerr noted. “We failed to guard VanVleet; they threw it down the floor, and he hit the shot and got the free throw. It felt like a game-changing play.”
Draymond Green emphasized, “We can’t give up a four-point play in a two-point game.”
Kerr also praised 31-year-old Adams, whose 31 minutes on the court marked a season high. “Adams was fantastic tonight. They controlled the game while he was out there.”
Despite being fouled frequently, a low-percentage free-throw shooter, Adams made nine of 16 from the line, and the Rockets managed to secure rebounds from some of his misses.
The winner of the series will face the Minnesota Timberwolves, who previously eliminated the Los Angeles Lakers in five games.
