The Houston Rockets forced the seventh game against the Golden State Warriors on Friday after dominating the sixth in San Francisco for 107-15 in San Francisco and matching its 3-3 series. Both teams will meet in the final match of the series on Sunday at the Toyota Center in Houston.
Fred Vanvleet led some dominant rockets, solids in defense and troops in attack. Vanvleet scored 29 points, after signing 26 in the fifth game and 25 in the room. In addition to the annotation, he contributed 8 rebounds and 8 assists. Alperen Sengun signed a double-double with 21 points and 14 rebounds, while Steven Adams put 17 points.
Rockets now becomes favorites in a series that seemed sentenced after 3-1 for the Warriors after four games. Those of Houston surpassed the Warriors in rebounds 62 to 51, robberies 12 to 6 and in losses 11 to 16, showing defensive discipline from beginning to end.
For the Warriors, Stephen Curry scored 29 points, although only with 39.1 % success (9 of 23 in field shots). Jimmy Butler put 29 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists. They sin of lack of success throughout the game, with 41.1 % in field shots (37 of 90) including 30.6 % in triples (15 of 49).
The Minnesota Timberwolves, who got rid of 4-1 of Los Angeles Lakers from Luka Doncic and LeBron James, wait for Rockets or Warriors in one of the semifinals of the West.
Dillon Brooks defends Curry in the sixth game.
Scott Strascie / ap-lapresse
The Houston Rockets knew that the road to the seventh game went through stopping the offensive power of the Golden State Warriors. They became strong in defense with Alperen Sengun and Steven Adams, demonstrated discipline and were effective throughout the game forcing losses, preventing shots and stealing balls.
They left the Warriors in 21 points in the first quarter and in the Ecuador of the second they took a maximum advantage of +11. In less than two minutes, Stephen Curry unleashed a burst for a 11-0 partial to tie the game: a 2+1, a triple, two free and one triple shots. Even so, the Rockets closed the first half 48-53.
The Rockets maintained the initiative after the break, but without being able to take off from the Warriors during the third quarter. Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler put 10 points each in the room in front of the defense in Houston. They won the room, although the Rockets were still in front of 84-86.
Houston opened the last quarter with a demolish 0-6 in just 53 seconds, forcing Steve Kerr to stop the game with a dead time. His team was still not playing with the level of intensity that a game like today. The Warriors were clear favorites in an equalized ending, that the Rockets looked for – and achieved – to avoid at all costs.
A triple by Fred Vanvleet put the rockets with a +12, maximum advantage, at 6:47, at which time the frustration began to emerge in the local ranks. Not only were they lacking intensity, but also aiming: the Warriors signed a final fourth disastrous, with a 3 of 19 in field shots before giving the game for lost and that the substitutes make up the final result. The Rockets now face the last game of the series with field advantage and with the confidence of having raised a tie in which they were given for dead.
