The Houston Rockets are in the semifinals of the NBA Cup and with the classic drama of the NBA Cup.
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 strength for Golden State to a straight game. Thriller at the last minute.
Houston will face the Oklahoma City Thunder, who beat the Dallas Mavericks the night before, on Saturday in Las Vegas.
The victory snaps a 15-game losing streak against the Warriors, dating back to Feb. 20, 2020. The last time the Rockets beat their playoff nemesis from the previous decade, James Harden and Russell Westbrook were involved and neither only one 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 came through in the first half, when they stopped the Warriors in a way no one else has this season. Going into halftime, the Warriors trailed 44-37 and were 16-for-42 (4-for-22 from 3-point range) with 10 turnovers.
But you can only keep the Warriors’ offense down for so long. In the final two minutes, the Warriors had taken a 90-84 lead.
That lead was reduced to a single point with 27 seconds left. Stephen Curry hit an open 3-pointer and missed, but Gary Payton II got what should have been the game-sealing rebound. Except instead of calling a timeout, he tried to pass the ball while prone and surrounded by the Rockets. Jalen Green received the ball and committed a foul, just after Houston 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 to win the game was blocked. Mistakes were made and the result was the breaking of certain Houston history. And disbelief for the Warriors.