The Houston Rockets are still in this.
After building a 31-point lead and forcing the Warriors to wave the white flag, the Rockets fended off a Golden State bench rally Wednesday night to secure a 131-116 Game 5 victory.
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Faced with the prospect of capping a 4-1 first-round defeat at home as the No. 2 seed, the Rockets survive and advance to Game 6. The series now shifts to San Francisco where the Warriors will face a chance to close out the series at home.
But for the Rockets, Wednesday’s game was strictly about keeping the series and their playoffs afloat. They punched the Warriors in the mouth early and held on late when the Warriors threatened to rally.
Houston rode a 15-0 run to a 20-8 lead midway through the first quarter. When the quarter was done, the lead was 40-24. It ballooned to 76-49 by halftime.
As Houston held a 49-24 three minutes into the second quarter lead, TNT’s Candace Parker floated the idea of the Warriors resting their starters to save their legs for Game 6. It wasn’t an absurd proposition, especially considering Golden State’s considerably older roster.
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Midway through the third quarter, the Warriors reached the same conclusion. With Houston leading 93-64 and 5:50 remaining in the quarter, Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green, Brandin Podziemski and Buddy Hield went to the bench. They didn’t return to the game.
Golden State backups finished the game as head coach Steve Kerr prioritized rest for his starters in anticipation of Game 6.
Ime Udoka eventually followed suit and pulled Houston’s starters with the win apparently secure. But the game wasn’t over, and Houston’s starters weren’t done.
Golden State’s backups mounted a 21-7 run in the fourth quarter that cut Houston’s lead to 114-101. Udoka put his starters back in the game to fend off the rally. Kerr kept his bench unit that mounted the comeback in with a chance to finish the job.
It didn’t. A late scuffle resulted in technical fouls on both teams and the ejection of Golden State’s Pat Spencer. Dillon Brooks hit one technical free throws and two more for a personal foul to extend Houston’s lead back to 117-101, and Golden State’s rally deflated.
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