The Houston Rockets equalled the 2-2 series by winning away to the Golden State Warriors in rack 4. With an outstanding defense and a strong Chris Paul, the guests turn the match late and finally win 95:92.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr actually had to change his starting five because Andre Iguodala (knee) didn’t get the doctors’ go. For him, Center Kevon Looney started, so the Dubs played bigger. The start was promising for the hosts, however, with Stephen Curry quickly hitting a corner three-pointer, while Houston had nothing at all. The Rockets left many finishes at the basket and were still without points after five minutes and were trailing 0:12.
As a result, the Rockets calmed down a bit, even if the self-confidence seemed to be in the cellar. James Harden refused a completely open threesome in transition, resulting in almost a shot clock violation. Otherwise, the bearded player was the only valid offensive option for the Rockets with 9 points in the first quarter. In the Dubs, Kevin Durant was the go-to guy, especially with the Second Unit. 28:19 The Dubs led after 12 minutes.
Nevertheless, there were concerns for the hosts. After a drive Klay Thompson went down unhappily and held his knee, the Shooting Guard first had to be treated in the cabin. Houston subsequently remained within striking distance – despite the initial problems. A hard-three in Looney’s face and then a mighty dunk of the beard over Draymond Green – suddenly the dubs were only two points ahead (36:34).
Curry also picked up his third foul and therefore sat on the bench until 16 seconds before the break. The game was overturned because Golden State was negligent and Harden’s defense also picked up. The MVP candidate stole the ball from the dubs twice and scored light points, Chris Paul woke up with three triples and 12 points, contributing to the 16:5 run. The Rockets went into half-time with a 53:46 lead.
How would the warriors react? Reasonably well. Although the dubs did not make a massive run at first, Golden State had found its rhythm again and a real joker in curry. The double MVP, who had hardly been in the game before, nailed three longballs into the basket in one piece and turned the game completely upside down. Suddenly the Dubs were back in front with 8 points and Oracle was cooking. With 80:70 it finally went into the final section, Curry contributed 17 points in section.
But Houston has not yet admitted defeat. Against the second unit of the Dubs, the guests came back by a few free throws and a threesome from Trevor Ariza to Zuckerpass from CP3 brought the Rockets back to the front six minutes before the end (85:84). The Warriors couldn’t score and some of them seemed haphazard. After nine minutes in the section, only 9 points were on the credit side. Houston, on the other hand, had other options and Eric Gordon returned from downtown to 5, but shortly afterwards the Guard left a completely free threesome.
Golden State could not benefit, threesomes of Thompson and Curry clapped on the ring. But since Houston could not score either, the door remained open, Green converted a free-throw and it was a one-possession game at 35 seconds (94:92). Harden let the clock run down, but then only hit the ring with a threesome. The Dubs didn’t take any time out, but they didn’t run a good set anymore. A turnaround jumper from Thompson was clearly too short. The game seemed over, but after review Paul was fouled 0.5 seconds before the end. The Guard scored the second free throw and Golden State got another chance to extend. Curry even got another good litter, but it was also too short.
Best scorer of the Dubs was Curry with 28 points (10/26 FG), Durant scored 27 points (9/24 FG). However, both were only efficient in phases, with some pieces of work remaining in between. Green flirted with a triple double (11, 14 rebounds, 8 assists, 5 turnovers), Thompson had big difficulties especially after his injury. For Houston CP3 (27, 10/20 FG) and Harden (30, 11/26) once again carried the lion’s share of the offense.
Game 5 takes place in the night from Thursday to Friday in Houston (3 am, live on DAZN).
Golden State Warriors – Houston Rockets 92:95, series 2:2 (BOXSCORE)
His launch was terrible. The Point Guard remained the first quarter without points and only contributed one assist, but CP3 exploded afterwards. 14 points in the second quarter fired the hopes of the Rockets. His qualities were also decisive at the beginning of the fourth quarter. His defense was suffocating, the overview impressive, to which he contributed some difficult and important field goals at the end.
The Shooting Guard didn’t find any rhythm at all, especially not after going into the cabin. Airballs from one of the best shooters of all time can only be seen very rarely, in addition he cut several times at cuts of the Rockets in the defense. 10 points (4/13 FG) were more than disappointing, in the fourth quarter he remained completely without points.
How would the dubs compensate for the failure of Iggy? Kerr answered this with the big line-up with Looney on the Five. But as the Warriors coach staggered Curry and Durant’s minutes, even KD, Looney and Jordan Bell were on the field in cans. The impact of the rookie was much greater without Looney. In the second half Kerr bet on the newcomer next to Green and the Dubs-Defense reached a higher level. In the eight minutes with Bell in the third quarter, the Dubs were +15 and Iguodala’s retirement was extremely painful, as no banker except Bell had an impact on the game, which was particularly noticeable at the beginning of the final section. Nick Young (-14) and Shaun Livingston (-15) had the worst plus-minus values of all players.