The Warriors sensed how big the stakes were. Facing a two-point deficit entering the fourth quarter, Steve Kerr contracted an already tight rotation and was ready to jack up the minutes for Jimmy Butler and Steph Curry.
The young Rockets weren’t fazed. Instead of being blinded by the lights of a massive Game 6 in a hostile Chase Center environment, Houston went on a 20-5 run across eight minutes and never looked back in a 115-107 Game 6 victory at Chase Center.
Golden State, even with all the urgency in the world, didn’t have the legs on jump shots, the burst on drives, the ups for rebounds or loose balls. Although the Warriors denied that fatigue played a factor, they looked tired as they missed 15 of their first 16 shots in the fourth quarter as the game slipped away from them.
The Rockets, a mediocre offensive team, have found scoring confidence to force a do-or-die Game 7 on Sunday in Houston.
“You understand there’s pressure to win on your home floor,” Steph Curry said postgame. “They’re playing great, you’ve got to give them credit. It’s not like we’re just laying an egg and rolling over, we’re fighting.”
Fred VanVleet dropped a team-high 29 points on 6-for-9 shooting from 3-point range. In the past three games, he’s 18-for-27 (67%) from behind the arc. Curry (29 points) and Butler (27 points, nine rebounds, eight assists) elevated their play, but their teammates didn’t support them enough offensively.