The Golden State Warriors are still alive in the NBA playoffs. The Steph Curry team has defeated the Houston Rockets (103-89) this Sunday in the seventh game of a physical and very suffered series. Those of San Francisco advance to the semifinals of the West Conference, where Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves are waiting for them. The Rockets caressed the possibility of becoming the fifteenth team in the history of the NBA that traced a 3-1, but the Warriors imposed their long experience in postseason with a home victory.
Curry, with 37 years, has not played this series. The star has had problems with the right thumb since he injured him in January. This week ice was applied to the finger and receive new treatment. Rockets players knew about this weak point and tried to exploit it. This Sunday it was appreciated that the base was using a support at the thumb base.
The Warriors star barely appeared during the first half. His first basket of the night, a triple, was recorded seconds before the break. His lethargy did not cause the alarm in the Steve Kerr team thanks to the Distributed actors of Golden State, who were key to the qualification.
The Buddy Hield escort has recorded the best play of some playoffs in his career tonight. The Bahameño player has paraded for five teams in nine years in the League. Tonight, in just his eleventh postseason game, he had one night to remember nine of eleven triples and 33 points. It has been the top scorer for Golden State and who driven the team in the first part with Jimmy Butler (20 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists) and Draymond Green (16 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists). The trio made the Warriors go to rest with a comfortable 12 -point advantage.
Houston played in his stadium against about 20,000 people. They were the first playoffs at home for the team since 2019 (in 2020 they also qualified, but it was the year of the bubble), and they arrived as favorites after having finished the season in the second position of the table and having traced a 3-1 with two wins to thread.
In the third quarter Houston he knew how to the Warriors removed their foot from the accelerator. They had a partial streak of 14-4 leaning on Ames Thompson. The 22 -year -old base was one of the best of rockets in the series and tonight closed its first appearance in playoffs with 24 points and 9 rebounds. The Turk Alperen Sengun had 21 points and 14 rebounds and Fred Vanvleet, who was already champion in 2019 with Toronto, added 17 points.
Curry scored 36 points in the third game of the series. Houston’s defense pressed the brand. Thompson was entrusted with the difficult task of keeping the Golden State star in Games Five and Six. It resulted, as he added 30 points in two nights and only conducted 29% long distance. Tonight, Curry reappeared in the second half with 19 points (four of ten triples). He also had ten defensive rebounds, leading his team in this area.
There are still many questions in the Golden State game. At the moment, he has avoided the elimination in what would have been a bleak outcome. The last appearance in Postemporada was a painful defeat in the semifinals against the Lakers two years ago. LeBron James and Luka Dončić’s team has already been eliminated by the Timberwolves. The Warriors are still alive in a year that has been uphill in which they found oxygen in the final stretch of the season thanks to the signing of Jimmy Butler. On Tuesday they will begin one of the hardest tests of the campaign.
