The Houston Rockets are on to the semifinals of the NBA Cup, and with some classic NBA Cup drama.
The Rockets erased a six-point lead in a minute and a half to defeat the Golden State Warriors 91-90 in a game that went from a defensive clinic for Houston, to a resurgent show of force for Golden State, to a straight-up thriller in the final minute.
Houston will face the Oklahoma City Thunder, who beat the Dallas Mavericks the previous night, in Las Vegas on Saturday.
The win snaps a 15-game losing streak against the Warriors, which went back to Feb. 20, 2020. The last time the Rockets beat their playoff nemesis of the previous decade, James Harden and Russell Westbrook were involved and not a single player in Wednesday’s rotation was on the team.
The Rockets entered Wednesday with more confidence than usual, thanks to a 16-8 record and the second-best defensive rating in the NBA. That strength bore out in the first half, when they put the clamps on the Warriors in a way no one else has this season. Entering halftime, the Warriors were down 44-37 and shooting 16-of-42 (4-of-22 from 3-point range) with 10 turnovers.
But you can only keep the Warriors offense down for so long. By the final two minutes, the Warriors had surged to a 90-84 lead.
That lead was narrowed to a single point with 27 seconds left. Stephen Curry got an open 3-pointer and missed, but Gary Payton II got what should have been the game-sealing rebound. Except instead of calling timeout, he attempted to pass the ball while prone and surrounded by the Rockets. Jalen Green got the ball and drew a foul, right after Houston had entered the bonus.
Green made both free throws to take the lead. Golden State still had 3.5 seconds and a timeout left — thanks to Payton — but Brandin Podziemski’s attempt at a game-winner was blocked. Mistakes were made, and the result was the bucking of some history for Houston. And disbelief for the Warriors.
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