Rockets Lose to Warriors for 15th Straight Matchup

The Houston Rockets lost 99-93 to the Golden State Warriors.
This game started off very similar to the last time these two teams met up. Houston started 2-for-16 from the field. Jonathan Kuminga started off 2-for-3 from three, leading Golden State to a quick 11-5 lead.
A timeout was taken after Houston's slow start by Ime Udoka. From there, Amen Thompson, Reed Sheppard, and Steven Adams checked in. All three had an immediate impact, with Thompson standing out of the three. He hit a quick corner three to cut the lead down 14-11, but Golden State managed to make it a 16-11 lead. Thompson made his second corner three to make the game 17-18, then made a two-point shot to give Houston a one-point lead.
Fouls killed the Rockets in the second quarter. Their biggest lead was four, and they had momentum off of a three and then a dunk from Dillon Brooks. However, Houston was unable to attain it.
Up four, Brooks fouled Andrew Wiggins on a three, which he made. He continued to make the and-one free-throw, tying the game. Golden State gained a two-point lead, and Wiggins got fouled on a made three by Jabari Smith Jr. this time. He converted the and-one, and the half ended with a 49-43 score. Another drawback that led to Houston losing their lead and only shooting 37% in the half was shot selection. Rather than making that extra pass to get an open shot, players were taking every shot available. Wiggins had 15 points in the first 24 minutes of action. As for the Rockets, Thompson had 11.
Golden State went 5-for-9 to start the second half and Houston started 2-for-10. Exactly like the last time they faced off, Houston could not defend them from beyond the arc. The Warriors obtained a 10-point lead rapidly into the third quarter, and grew their lead to 12.
After cutting the lead down to four in the first quarter, courtesy of Jalen Green and Fred VanVleet, Houston's defense was still nowhere to be found. The Rockets were not able to get stops on Golden State due to their incredible off-ball movement, but luck hit when the Warriors were missing their shots. Once their lead got cut, they went on a 6-0 run, and gained back a seven-point lead.
Brooks hit a three with 4:38 left in the game to cut the Warriors' lead down to just two, but then the Warriors went on an 8-0 run. This happened again with under two minutes left to go as the Rockets cut the lead down to four. Golden State regained a five-point lead with 36.6 seconds left in the game. Aaron Holiday and Thompson closed the game instead of Alperen Sengun and Green. Houston shot 37.6% from the field and 26.3% from three, which ultimately led to their loss.
The Rockets play the LA Clippers on Sunday at Intuit Dome. Tip-off is set for 8:00 p.m. CST.
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