The Houston Rockets force a decisive seventh game against the Golden State Warriors. Fred VanVleet delivers again – while the home team loses its way in crunch time.
With a 115-107 victory in Game 6 on Friday night, the Houston Rockets evened the first round of the playoffs against the Golden State Warriors. Led by an outstanding Fred VanVleet (29 points, eight assists, eight rebounds), the Rockets showed their best side, especially in the fourth quarter. Golden State, on the other hand, squandered the chance to end the series in front of their home crowd and now have to play the decisive Game 7 in Houston on Sunday.
The Warriors had fought their way back into the game with a Curry run at the end of the third quarter and were only two points behind at one point. But then came the break: between the 10:12 and 3:35 marks in the final quarter, Golden State missed 13 shots in a row. Curry finished with 29 points, but only made nine of his 23 shots (6/16 from outside). Jimmy Butler contributed 27 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, but it wasn’t enough.
Rockets win as a team – Warriors’ drought decides the game
Houston impressed with a solid team performance: Alperen Sengün scored 21 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, while Steven Adams came off the bench to score 17 points and make some important hustle plays. Jalen Green also scored in double figures. The decisive moment came when VanVleet opened the fourth quarter with a four-point play and then hit a three-pointer to make it 101-89, with the Rockets keeping the Warriors at bay for the rest of the game.
Golden State had everything in their own hands after taking a 3-1 series lead. But after the 116-131 setback in Game 5, weaknesses in defense and shot selection reappeared. Now it’s back to Houston – and the Warriors are under pressure.
