Curry, Wiggins snuff out rally
SAN FRANCISCO — So much of the Rockets' rebuild hinges on a learnby-doing modus operandi, as is necessary when more than half of the starting lineup is below the legal drinking age.
So it follows that having won both games of a backto-back at Toyota Center last weekend by beating the Hawks and then the Thunder, the Rockets would be better equipped to do so again.
The Rockets arrived in the Bay Area with an opportunity to do just that following their win Friday night over the Suns, and against a Warriors team also playing their second game in as many nights. But a W against the Dubs slipped away in the final minutes on Saturday as another Rockets rally fell short in a 120-101 loss at Chase Center.
Golden State got off to a blistering start, making its first seven shots. Houston was once down 25 points and cut the deficit to as few as 10, but still trailed by 16 at halftime as the Warriors shot 60.5 percent from the field.
After the Rockets' bench trimmed the Warriors' lead to four points with seven minutes left, Golden State reinserted starters Stephen Curry and Andrew Wiggins.
Houston countered by returning most of its starters to the court shortly thereafter, but timely shots by Curry stymied the Rockets' comeback.
While Houston had its worst 3-point shooting game of the season, the Warriors made a seasonhigh 25 3-pointers and thus were content to let the Rockets dominate in the paint, 72-34. The Rockets out-rebounded the Warriors by 10, if only because the Warriors did not have to chase many of their own missed shots.
Kevin Porter Jr. led the Rockets in scoring with 20 points, only six of which came in the second half. Jalen Green, K.J. Martin and Tari Eason scored 13 points apiece. Starting center Alperen Sengun scored 12 points on 6-of-9 shooting but played just seven minutes in the second half.
Wiggins led the Warriors with 36 points. Curry had 30 points.
KPJ takes charge
Along with the rest of the Rockets, Porter had trouble making shots early in the game. He became more aggressive as time went on, seeming determined to draw contact and able to score on tough finishes. At halftime, he was the only Rockets player in double figures with 14 points, despite making just one of his six 3-point attempts.
Houston's stagnant offense sometimes led Porter to force his shot, like when he missed three consecutive 3-pointers on one second-quarter possession. The Rockets rebounded each one, but then Garrison Mathews' off-balance pass from the corner to the opposite wing was picked off by the Warriors.
Overall, though, Porter took on the responsibility of being the Rockets' primary scorer while still attempting to get the ball moving. He dished four of Houston's 17 assists.
Game of runs
By now, the Rockets and their opponents should feel like Houston is never out of a game. With multiple 16-point comebacks under their belt already, the Rockets cut a 25-point deficit to 10 in the first half, and in the second half used a 23-9 run to make it a six-point game with under nine minutes remaining.
The Rockets' rally was started by an all-bench lineup of Daishen Nix, Josh Christopher, Mathews, Eason and Usman Garuba. Backup center Bruno Fernando made an appearance in crunch time, too, playing the final four minutes with the Rockets' starters against the Warriors' starters.
Death by 3-pointer
The Warriors' 3-point shooting is the sport's most well-known weapon of choice. On Saturday, the damage inflicted was twofold. The Rockets were powerless to stop the Warriors' shooting barrage while unable to make 3pointers of their own.
By the first couple minutes of the fourth quarter, the Warriors had made more 3-pointers than the Rockets had attempted in the game.
Houston shot 3-of-28 on 3-pointers, a season low in 3-point makes and shooting percentage. Porter, Nix and Mathews combined for 18 3-point attempts and each made one triple, but the rest of the Rockets went 0-for-10.
Even without Klay Thompson, who sat out as the Warriors manage his workload in back-tobacks, Golden State made 48 percent of its 3-pointers and became the second team in NBA history to make 20 3-pointers in four out of its last five games. Wiggins tied his career high with eight 3-pointers, while Curry went 8-of-17 from behind the arc.