Rockets beat Warriors, force Game 6 behind Fred VanVleet, Amen Thompson

Anthony Slater: Steve Kerr on Houston’s defensive scheme vs Draymond Green: “They’re putting VanVleet on him for a reason. They’re trying to take away Draymond’s playmaking and take him out of our offensive scheme as best they can. This is not an easy series for Dray.” -via Bluesky / April 28, 2025

Anthony Slater: Steve Kerr on Houston’s defensive scheme vs Draymond Green: “They’re putting VanVleet on him for a reason. They’re trying to take away Draymond’s playmaking and take him out of our offensive scheme as best they can. This is not an easy series for Dray.” pic.x.com/wRkTUD7hb5 -via Twitter @anthonyVslater / April 28, 2025

Had a few possessions down the stretch gone differently, there could have easily been a different outcome. Elsewhere, they enjoyed a strong advantage on the glass (52 to 36) and offensive rebounding in particular (22 to 6), a theme the Rockets will need to lean into over the coming games. “That’s what we do,” VanVleet said. “We’re going to continue to do that. I think we can generate better looks, I think our spacing can get better, I think we can make more shots, obviously. Myself included; (I) didn’t shoot the ball great tonight. We missed nine free throws. Steph (Curry) hit some crazy shots. I liked our fight and intensity, but it’s about execution.” -via New York Times / April 21, 2025

But Plan B would be to cash in some of the assets that the Rockets patiently accumulated over the past five years to speed up the process via a blockbuster trade. Green is Houston’s leading scorer and one of a handful of “bets,” as Stone puts it, that the Rockets have on the board to grow into that All-NBA talent necessary to make a title run. Sengun, a skilled center, made his first All-Star appearance at age 22 this season. Amen Thompson, 22, the No. 4 pick in the 2023 draft, has already established himself as a dominant defensive force and is just starting to scratch the surface of his offensive potential. Rockets decision-makers consider guard Reed Sheppard, the No. 3 pick who hasn’t cracked a deep rotation on a consistent basis as a rookie, as perhaps the most gifted offensive talent on the roster. -via ESPN / April 30, 2025

David Hardisty: This is ugly — Amen Thompson falls forward and ends up undercutting Jimmy Butler pic.x.com/PsDujc8sSD -via Twitter @clutchfans / April 23, 2025

The Rockets missed 53 of their 87 shots in Game 1 but rebounded 22 of them for 22 second-chance points, keeping them within striking distance despite going 6 of 29 on 3s and missing nine free throws. “It felt like 1997 out there to me,” Kerr said. “Completely different NBA game than what we’re used to, and we got to be ready for that. This is what this series is going to be.” It’s part of Houston’s identity. The Rockets were the best offensive rebounding team in the league and were particularly destructive (above 50 percent offensive rebound rate) with Şengün and Steven Adams on the floor together this season. Those two and Amen Thompson combined to get Houston 13 extra possessions. “I think we can play a lot better,” Green said. “That’s the encouraging part about it. I don’t think we played very well at all.” -via New York Times / April 21, 2025