Warriors 103 vs 89 Rockets summary, stats, scores and highlights | NBA Playoffs Game 7
It took a while, and there were a few scares along the way, but the Warriors are heading to the Western Conference Semifinals where they will meet the Minnesota Timberwolves. Steph and the Warriors will continue their title run as the new look Warriors with Jimmy Butler take care of business.
Curry didn't hit the night night after this three ball, but he did set up Hield on the next possession down the floor and that would put the Rockets to rest as Golden State went up 20 and would stroll to the finish line.
A five point flurry from Curry put the Warriors back in command early in the fourth quarter and the Warriors weren't looking back after that.
Steph started to warm up in the third quarter and you knew it was going to be Chef Curry time heading into the fourth quarter.
Amen Thompson had a fantastic night in his first game seven. He was the best player on the floor for the Rockets, and ended the game with 24 points and 9 rebounds. The Rockets would cut the deficit to three at one point late in the 3rd quarter.
Steph continued to distribute as he let the game come to him knowing that his shots would drop eventually. He found Brandon Podziemski for one of his seven assists on the night.
Buddy had six three ball in the first half as he stole the show for 24 minutes. He would cool off a bit in the third quarter but he would reactivate in the fourth quarter.
Hield had 22 points in the first half and carried the Warriors who built up a double digit lead. That would be the cushion for much of the game. Houston would chip into it, but were never able to draw level.
Steph didn't score a bucket in the first quarter and went to halftime with just three points but he had 6 rebounds and 5 assists on a night that he didn't get off to the hottest of shooting starts.
Buddy Hield got hot from three point range early and that would be the start of a playoff career high night. He ended the quarter with a three ball from half court to beat the buzzer and put the Warriors up heading into the final quarter. They would lead the entire rest of the way.
The Golden State Warriors are heading to the next round of the NBA Playoffs after going into Houston and beating the Rockets in Game 7 from the Toyota Center. It was Buddy Hield leading the way with 33 points in the 103-89 win on Sunday night.
It wasn't Steph Curry or even Jimmy Butler coming out of the gate and setting the pace for the Warriors on the road. It was Draymond Green who came out hit 8 quick points in the first few minutes of the game.
IT'S ALL OVER FROM HOUSTON!!
The Golden State Warriors are heading to he Western Conference Semifinals after beating the Houston Rockets in Game 7!!
VanVleet drills a deep three ball from 35 feet.
Timeout GS with 8.1 to go.
HIeld with another three ball and he has 33 on the night!!!
Curry to the line after the foul on Sengun and he hits both FTs.
Green with an open path to the iron and he lays it up and in.
HIeld with the lay up off the find from Butler.
VanVleet hits a three ball from the top of the key but that's just their fifth three of the night.
Hield finds Green wide open underneath and he slams it home!
Thompson driving down the lane and he lays it up and in.
Sengun jacks a three ball from the top of the key and the Warriors take a timeout with 1:28 to go.
Sengun down low with the jam in traffic.
Curry to Hield in the corner and Hield drills the dagger!! It's a 20 point game with 2:20 to go!!!
Curry with the step back three ball and that might have just been the final blow to the Houston Rockets!!!
Butler spins and pulls up from the elbow and he hits the mid range jumper.
The foul was deemed a clear path foul and Butler hits both FTs and GS get the ball with 3:33 to go.
Hield came up with a steal and while running down the floor and shielding VanVleet off Butler was pushed to the floor by VanVleet. They are going to look at the replay to see what degree of foul that was.
Butler down the lane off the dribble and he lays it up and in.
Brooks into the lane and he gets the floater to fall.
Sengun to the line after the foul on Green but he misses both FTs.
Brooks to the line after the foul on Curry and he hits both FTs with 6:14 to go in the 3rd.
Curry off the dribble and he races to the cup for the lay up off the glass.
Hield with a three ball from the wing and that's his first bucket of the second half after 22 in the first!
VanVleet in the lane and he gets the floater to fall.
Curry to the cup and he lays it up and in in traffic.
Sengun with a push shot in the lane out of the timeout.
Brooks with a step back J from the FT line and the Warroirs are going to take a timeout with 9:42 to go.
Green to the line after the foul on Looney and he hits both FTs for the first Rockets points of the quarter.
Curry from the wing and he drills the step back jumper, and it might be Curry's time to cook!
Timeout Warriors with 10:48 to go in the 4th quarter!!!
Curry to the rack off the dribble and lays it up and in off the glass.
WE ARE AT THE END OF THE FIRST QUARTER AND THE WARRIORS LEAD BY 8!!!
Draymond with the floater from inside the FT line off the bounce pass from Butler.
Thompson to the line after the foul on Moody and he hits both FTs.
Butler finds Green dashing to the rack and he lays it up and in after getting a screen from Curry.
Butler with a three ball out of the timeout and GS would love to see him come to life!
Smith with a three ball from the top of the key and the Warriors need a timeout with 2:41 to go in the 3rd!
Eason got fouled by Looney but he missed both FTs!
Curry driving baseline and somehow got a wild reverse to go in traffic.
Thompson to the line after the foul on Podziemski and he hits both FTs.
Eason drives baseline, splits a couple of defenders and lays it in.
Curry drills the three ball off the dribble and that's not what the Rockets want to see. He's got just 6 points tonight.
Green with a euro step to the cup on the break and the Warriors are going to take a timeout with 5:37 to go in the third quarter.
Sengun off the feed from Thompson and he pump fakes and slams it home!
Podziemski on the baseline falling out of bounds and he hits the off balance shot.
Sengun misses the lay up but Thompson tips it in on the follow.
Sengun spins in the lane and lays it off for Thompson who explodes to the bucket for the slam.
Warriors timeout with 8:35 to go in the 3rd quarter!!
Sengun to the line after the foul on Green and he hits both FTs.
Curry running the break and finds Podziemski right down the seam for the two handed jam!
Thompson down the lane and he gets the finger roll to fall.
Sengun with a much needed bucket from inside the FT line.
Butler down low off the feed from Green and he lays it up an in with the foul on Brooks. FT is good.
WE ARE BACK IN HOUSTON FOR THE SECOND HALF OF ACTION!!!
Hield had 6 three balls and 22 points in the first half and has carried his team tonight. Green has 10, Butler has 8 and Curry has just 3 that came at the end of the half.
Steph didn't score in the first quarter and almost didn't score in the second quarter, but he's got five assists and six rebounds.
The story of the first half has been Buddy Hield. He ended the quarter with 8 points and this buzzer beater from mid court.
These were Jalen Green's only points of the first half. They need their leading scorer of the regular season to step up now more than ever.
Draymond got cooking early on with 8 quick points to start the game as the Warriors got ahead early and haven't let go of that lead since.
WE ARE HEADING TO THE HALFTIME BREAK AND THE WARRIORS LEAD BY 12!!
Thompson goes behind his back and goes reverse on the baseline.
Curry with a 30 footer and he's finally on the board!!!
Thompson misses the lay up but followed it up with a tip slam!
Adams to the line and he hits one of two FTs.
Hield with another three ball from the wing! That's six for him and he's got 22 on the night!!
VanVleet was called for a foul on Green, who followed through and took a swipe on VanVleet. After review he got T'd up and VanVleets his the FT.
Adams follows up the missed floater from Thompson with a tip slam.
Hield from the wing on the other side and he's got 5 three balls!!!
Hield from the wing and he drills the three ball! He' got 16 already!!
Sengun hits the turn around hook shot in the paint out of the timeout.
Podziemski hits the short floater in the lane and the Warriors are up by 10!
Timeout Rockets with 3:19 to go in the first half!
Green put it on the deck and gets to the rack for the lay up and he's got 10!
Butler pulls up at the elbow and hits the mid range jumper.
Eason dills a three ball from the corner off the dish from Sengun!!
Thompson to the line and he hits both FTs.
Timeout Rockets with 6:59 to go in the 2nd quarter!
Looney to the line after the foul on Thompson and he hits one of two FTs.
Looney going at the cup and he scoops it up and in off the glass.
Hield answers back with a three ball and he's got 13 on the night!
VanVleet drills a three ball from the top of the key!
Green finds Butler cutting to the bucket for the jam down the lane.
Sungun into the paint and he gets the roll on the push shot.
Hield steps back from the FT line and he's the first one in double digits tonight.
WE ARE AT THE END OF THE FIRST QUARTER FROM HOUSTON!!!!
The Warriors lead despite Curry going 0/4 from the field with no points. Hield and Green lead GS with 8 points, Thompson leads the Rockets with 6.
Hield hits the buzzer beater from just over the half court line and what a way to finish the first quarter!!!
Curry with the dish to Hield in the corner and he string the three ball!
Green to the cup and he gets the lay up to go and the foul on Butler!!! FT is no good.
Eason running the break and he finds Thompson who pump fakes before laying it up. Timeout Warriors with 2:56 to go in the 1st quarter.
Thompson with an offensive board and put back after the miss from VanVleet.
Butler to the line after the break and he hits one of two FTs.
Butler fouled by VanVleet and he will be at the line after a timeout with 3:42 to go in the 1st quarter.
Butler drills the three ball as the shot clock wound down and he hit in the face of Sengun from the corner!
VanVleet pulls up and sticks the mid range jumper to tie things up.
VanVleet to the line after the foul on Hield and he hits the FT after a take foul was called in transition.
VenVleet down low to Thompson who explodes to the bucket and slams it home.
Green in the corner off the dish from Hield and he's got an early 8 points after drilling the three ball!!
Sengun floats it up and in and he's got back to back buckets.
Senugn follows up his own miss and tips it in.
Hield puts it on the deck and gets a short little push shot to fall.
Brooks at the FT line and he hits the step back jumper.
Podziemski drills a spot up three points, and GS are knocking down threes to start this Game 7.
VanVleet sinks an elbow jumper to get his name on the board in a hurry.
Green with 5 quick points as he hits a long ball and a nice start from him and the Warriors.
Draymond Green gets us going with a lay up down the lane off the dish from Curry.
GAME 7 IS UNDERWAY FROM HOUSTON!!!
Houston, prepare for liftoff
This is the biggest game Houston has had on their home court in a long, long time. They are hoping it won't be the last of the season and the Toyota Center is going to rocking tonight.
Warriors starters
The Warriors have made a few tweaks to their starting five in this first round series, and in their final game of the series they are going with Curry, Podziemski, Hield, Butler and Green to start the biggest game of the season.
Rockets starters
Rockets startersIme Udoko knows what got him and his team here. This starting five have set the tone for the last two games and that's what coach Udoko will be hoping for tonight. It's VanVleet, Thompson, Green, Sengun and Brooks to start this massive Game 7.
Injury report: Rockets
The Rockets have a couple of players on the injury report but their stars are ready for the biggest game of the season. Jock Landale and Jae’Sean Tate are listed on the injury report, and neither will play tonight. The Aussie has a right knee contusion, while Tate is out with a right ankle impingement. The Rockets have everyone else ready, and they will need everyone in tip top shape to beat the Warriors tonight.
Injury report: Warriors
The Golden State Warriors come into this must win game on the road with one name on the injury report. That’s Gary Payton II who is has been dealing with an illness today. He is listed as questionable and if there is any way of him playing, you know he will be lacing them up tonight from Houston.
Calling playoff Jimmy
Jimmy Butler was brought to the Bay for these kinds of moments. His reputation as Playoff Jimmy has continued after his move from Miami to San Fran. He had 38 in the Play-In Game against the Grizzlies to lead his team to victory, then had 25 in the Game 1 win on the road. He played just 8 minutes in Game 2 before taking a terrible fall and suffering a pelvic contusion that forced him to miss Game 3. He came back and scored 27 in the Game 5 win that put the Warriors up 3-1. Jimmy was just one of many Warriors that had a terrible Game 6, scoring just 8 points, but last game he had his best game of the series despite losing. Butler had 27, 9 and 8 and is going to need a similar performance tonight.
The Big Kiwi’s big impact
One of the unsung heroes of this series is the biggest guy on the court. Steven Adams has cause all sorts of problems for the undersized Warriors who have had nightmares about the big Kiwi. His big body takes up space in the lane, and makes it hard to get shots up or bring rebounds down. His numbers aren’t going to blow you away, but his impact has been huge and the Warriors haven’t come up with a way to control him. They tried a hack-a-Shaq technique on him, but he went 9/16 from the line and helped the Rockets keep their leads late in the last two games.
Curry’s thumb, Brooks’ target
It’s been one of the stories of the series. Steph Curry came into the postseason with a banged up thumb, and the Rockets haven’t been shy about attacking it, especially Dillon Brooks. Curry has had a cast around the thumb on his shooting hand for about a month now, but it hasn’t slowed him down too much. The most we saw it affect him was back in early April when the the Warriors played the Rockets and Curry was held to just 1/8 shooting and scored 3 points in 33 minutes.
Rockets looking to add to list of historic comebacks
The Houston Rockets are on the verge of joining a historic list of teams that have come back from a 3-1 deficit. It has only been done 13 times in the history of the league, and the last team to do it was the Denver Nuggets in 2020 when the beat the LA Clippers during the Bubble. The Lakers were in a similar position during this postseason, and so were the Detroit Pistons but neither team even got to a Game 7. The Rockets have done an incredible job getting back into this series, but the hardest part is coming tonight.
How we got to Game 7
The Rockets earned the one seed and with that got the opportunity to host the first two games at home. The Warriors had to get through the Play-In after finishing 7th in the West, and beat the Grizzlies to set up this match up between them and the Rockets. Golden State stole the first one in Houston and took home court advantage from them. Jalen Green had a big game in Game 2 as the Rockets evened up the series before heading to San Fran. Golden State took care of business for the two game at the Chase Center, but Houston returned home needing a win, got one and then stunned the Warriors in a second straight game in which they faced elimination. Now they have all the momentum heading into the seventh and deciding game.
Star watch: Rockets
This series would have been over a long time ago if it wasn’t for Fred VanVleet. He was ice cold in in the first three games of the series averaging 11 ppg and shooting just 6/29 from behind the arc. He has gone for 25, 26 and 29 over the last three games and has hit 18/27 threes. His shooting has been incredible but it’s his veteran leadership that has made the big difference and given this Rockets team a chance to comeback after digging a 3-1 hole.
Star watch: Warriors
Game 7 calls for the biggest stars to make the biggest plays and this is when the Warriors are going to need Steph Curry to be his best version from start to finish. We saw flashes of it in the 2nd quarter of last game when he hit 11 straight points, and even though he finished the game with 29 points, he never looked like that killer that was looking to close out the series. He bounced back from a couple of sub par games in which he had 13, and 17 and tonight’s he’s going to have to lead his team not just on the scoreboard but instilling that championship attitude.
Game 6 recap
The Rockets went into Chase Center and everyone figured that the Warriors were going to take care of the Rockets on their home floor. That was far from the case. Alperin Sengun got the ball rolling with a few early buckets and Fred VanVleet continued his hot streak from downtown as they put the Rockets in the lead, and held on to it basically all night. The Warriors could never caught up and tied the game momentarily thanks to an 11-0 run from Steph Curry which evened the game, but the Rockets would take a lead into halftime and hang on to the lead. Curry had 29 and Butler had 27, but VanVleet’s 29 on 6/9 shooting from DT, Sengun’s 21 and 14 and Steven Adams 17 points and three blocks was enough to close out the Warriors who scored just 6 points in the first 8 minutes of the fourth quarter.
We are live from Toyota Center
Hello everyone and welcome to Houston where the Rockets are on the verge of joining a very select group of teams that have come back from a 3-1 deficit to win a series. They were in big trouble at the start of the week, but back to back wins have seen this series turn completely on it’s head and now it’s Houston who have taken the momentum from the Golden State Warriors and return home looking to close out the series. It’s one game for all the marbles. Winner moves on to play the T’Wolves, loser starts their offseason early.
Warriors vs. Rockets Game 7
They are the two best words in sport. Game 7. Golden State got off to a red hot start to the series taking a 3-1 lead, but Houston caught fire over the last two games and evened up the series to force an all or nothing game tonight from Toyota Center. It’s the playoff weathered Warriors talking on a Rockets team that is stacked, but many of their stars are playing in their first postseason series and AS English will be with you all night providing live coverage, stats, highlights and analysis of tonight’s Game 7 from the Rocket City.