It does not get better than this if you are a sports fan, a win or go home Game 7.
It is only fitting that the champion on the roster came up big when they had to have it the most. Fred VanVleet scored 29 points, Alperen Sengun produced a double-double and the Houston Rockets completed a shocking 115-107 victory over the favorite Golden State Warriors on Friday night in San Francisco, forcing a decisive Game 7 of their Western Conference first-round series.
The Rockets, who extended the series to a sixth game with a 131-116 home win on Wednesday, took control in the fourth quarter this time and will host Game 7 on Sunday, 8:30 ET on TNT.
Houston found a way to stay alive by using a stifling defense and forcing turnovers in the final period. VanVleet also led an offensive surge with a momentum-changing four-point play that opened the quarter and extended the Rockets’ lead to six, 90-84.
The Warriors, after shooting 50 percent from the field and knocking down seven 3-pointers in their 36-point third quarter, became ice cold just as quickly, missing 13 consecutive shots in the fourth as the Rockets turned a 12-0 run into a comfortable 106-89 lead.
Sengun came up with a steal on the usually sure handed Jimmy Butler III and fed VanVleet for a 3-pointer early in the rally.
“I think people, especially veterans, know the urgency of the playoffs, and it gets monotonous at times through the regular season,” Rockets coach Ime Udoka said while discussing VanVleet.
“Sometimes (they) pace themselves, save themselves for the right moment, and obviously, Fred came out not shooting his best. And he’s had some really good stretches lately. He knows what it is. He’s been a champion. Been there, done that. So wouldn’t expect anything less than that from him.”
Sengun posted 21 points and 14 rebounds while adding six assists and three steals. VanVleet also grabbed eight rebounds and dished out eight assists while making 6 of 9 from 3-point range and all nine of his free-throw attempts.
Amen Thompson had a good all-around game, adding 14 points, seven rebounds and three steals, while veteran Steven Adams totaled 17 points and three blocks off the bench. Houston finished 33 of 46 (71.7 percent) at the free-throw line.
Stephen Curry led the Warriors with 29 points, going 6 of 16 from beyond the arc, while Butler did a little bit of everything, putting up 27 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. However, Golden State shot just 41.1 percent from the field and sank only 15 of 49 3-point attempts (30.6 percent).
Embed from Getty Images“They were in a zone. They played (Steven) Adams quite a bit. He’s at the center of that zone, kind of a 2-1-2,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “I thought we got some good looks against the zone. But then, once they pulled away by 10 or 12, it was easier for them to run us off the line.”
The first quarter was a back-and-forth affair, featuring 10 lead changes, two ties and an early flagrant foul by Draymond Green. Sengun and VanVleet got going early, combining for 16 points, while Houston committed six turnovers in the period but took a 25-21 lead into the second.
Moses Moody buried a 3-pointer for the Warriors to trim their deficit to four, 39-35, with just under six minutes remaining in the first half, but the Rockets responded with a 7-0 spurt.
Curry took the Warriors on his back and single-handedly lifted the Warriors back into the game, sinking two 3-pointers, completing a three-point play and adding two free throws for an 11-0 run that tied the score at the 1:59 mark.
Houston reclaimed some control following a dunk by Thompson and Jalen Green’s 3-pointer, forging a 53-48 halftime lead. Butler and Curry combined for 28 points, nine rebounds and five assists in the half to keep the Warriors within striking distance.
“It was a mantra going into the series: Play through everything,” Udoka said. “It’s going to be a physical game. Don’t ask for anything. We want to be physical. So, if the refs allow it or that’s how the style of game is played, that favors us more often than not.”
