It’s a series now… Rockets head to San Fran tied 1-1
After giving up Game 1 at home on Sunday, it would be crucial for the Houston Rockets to get off to a strong start tonight taking on Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors. Ball security was a point of emphasis for Ime Udoka as the Rockets gave up 25 points off 17 turnovers in Game 1.
Early the Rockets focus on protecting the ball was evident, but unfortunately, they had some late turnovers in the quarter and got in foul. Dillon Brooks picked up two quick fouls, and Amen Thompson picked up his third foul late in the first quarter. However, the Rockets were able to hold the Warriors to 31.6 percent shooting and only 18 points in the quarter. The Rockets shot 45.5 percent from the field and made six free-throws adding up to 28 points giving them a 10-point lead headed into the second quarter. Jalen Green and Tari Eason each had seven points in the quarter.
Jimmy Butler suffered a pelvis contusion in the 1st quarter when Amen Thompson inadvertently undercut him while he was in the air trying to grab a rebound. Steve Kerr would have to go to the bottom of his bench and was forced to play Jonathan Kuminga who although he has been a Rocket killer, has been in Kerr’s doghouse this season. With Stephen Curry playing limited minutes and Butler out of the game the Warriors were still able to hang around despite being outrebounded and out-shot.
Dillon Brooks spent nearly the entire second quarter on the bench in foul trouble and Amen Thompson did not play in the second quarter, but the Rockets defense held the Warriors to 41.5 percent shooting and outrebounded them by 11. The also made 13-of-15 from the free-throw line and ultimately took a 60-46 lead into the half. Jalen Green was the high-point man with 15 points on 4-of-11 shooting. Sengun had 13 points and 7 rebounds. Steph curry led the way for the Warriors with 11 points.
The Rockets were able to keep the momentum in their favor in the third quarter. With three minutes to go in the quarter the Rockets had held the Warriors to 6-of-17 shooting, but five of those shots were three-pointers. In the final three minutes the Warriors went on a run that cut the lead to 11, but Ime Udoka called a timeout and the Rockets went on an 8-3 run themselves to head into the fourth quarter with an 87-71 lead.
In the fourth quarter the Rockets got the lead up to 20 points before the Warriors ran off five straight points after turning the ball over twice, forcing Ime Udoka to call timeout. The Warriors kept hanging around which is enough to make any Rockets fan nervous, regardless of the score. With 7:16 remaining a foul was called on Jalen Green that was upgraded to a flagrant foul penalty one.
A free-throw from Draymond Green cut the Rockets lead to 91-80. After that the Rockets went on a 7-0 run capped off with Jalen Green laying the ball in for his 34th and 35th points of the game. He would finish the game with 38 points, and the Rockets would win 109-94, making it back-to-back games holding the Warriors under 100 points.
Jalen Green tied a franchise record with eight three-pointers in the game, Alperen Sengun was three assists shy of a triple-double with 17 points, 16 rebounds, and 7 assists. Tari Eason added 14 points off the bench as the Rockets won their first playoff game in five years. The physical series heads to San Francisco tied 1-1. Game 3 will be Saturday at 7:30 PM CST.