The Rockets and Warriors will play the decisive game of the series on Sunday at the Toyota Center in Houston. Fred VanVleet led a dominant Rockets team, solid on defense and effective on offense. VanVleet scored 29 points today, after scoring 26 in Game 5 and 25 in Game 4.The Rockets now become favorites in a series that seemed to be sentenced after the 3-1 for the Warriors after four games.In addition to 29 points, VanVleet contributed eight rebounds and eight assists. Alperen Sengun had a double-double with 21 points and 14 rebounds, while Steven Adams had 17 points.
The Rockets out-rebounded the Warriors 62-51, stole 12-6 and lost 11-16, showing defensive discipline from start to finish. For the Warriors, Stephen Curry scored 29 points, although only with 39.1% accuracy (9 of 23 from the field). Jimmy Butler had 29 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. They were guilty of inaccuracy throughout the game, shooting 41.1% from the field (37 of 90) including 30.6% from three-point range (15 of 49). The Minnesota Timberwolves, who disposed of Luka Doncic and LeBron James’ Los Angeles Lakers 4-1, await either the Rockets or Warriors in one of the Western Conference semifinals.
The Rockets get serious
The Houston Rockets knew that the road to Game 7 was through stopping the offensive power of the Golden State Warriors. They were strong defensively with Alperen Sengun and Steven Adams, showed discipline and were effective throughout the game forcing turnovers, preventing shots and stealing balls. They held the Warriors to 21 points in the first quarter and midway through the second took a maximum lead of +11. In less than two minutes, Stephen Curry unleashed a flurry for an 11-0 run to tie the game: a 2+1, a three-pointer, two free throws and another three-pointer. Still, the Rockets closed out the first half 48-53.The Rockets maintained the initiative after the break, but without being able to pull away from the Warriors during the third quarter. Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler scored 10 points each in the quarter against Houston’s zone defense. They won the quarter, although the Rockets were still ahead 84-86. Houston opened the last quarter with a devastating 0-6 in just 53 seconds, forcing Steve Kerr to stop the game with a timeout. His team was still not playing with the level of intensity that a game like today’s demanded.
The Warriors were clear favorites in a close finish, which the Rockets sought – and managed – to avoid at all costs. A three-pointer by Fred VanVleet put the Rockets up by 12, the biggest lead of the game, with 6:47 to go, at which point frustration began to show in the home ranks. Not only were they lacking in intensity, but also in accuracy: the Warriors had a disastrous final quarter, with 3 of 19 shooting from the field before giving up the game and letting the substitutes make up the final score. The Rockets now face the last game of the series with home court advantage and with the confidence of having turned around a tie in which they were given up for dead.
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