The Houston Rockets were supposed to have this one. No Stephen Curry. No Jimmy Butler. No Kristaps Porziņģis. Three two-way contract players in the rotation. And yet, when the final buzzer sounded on Thursday night at Toyota Center, it was the Golden State Warriors celebrating a 115-113 overtime victory. Of course, the basketball world had questions for Houston.
Houston Rockets’ Loss to the Starless Warriors Demands Explanation
The Warriors arrived in Houston as walking wounded. Curry, Butler, Porzingis, Moses Moody, Will Richard, and Gary Payton II were all unavailable, leaving Steve Kerr to piece together a 10-man rotation that included players who had no business being on an NBA floor against a legitimate playoff contender.
The Rockets, meanwhile, were the third seed in the Western Conference, playing at home, and had Reed Sheppard erupt for a game-high 30 points off the bench while Amen Thompson delivered 18 points and 10 rebounds. On paper, this was an unlosable game for Houston.
And yet the reactions came swiftly. Skip Bayless set the tone immediately, writing, “Kevin Durant is going to be burning about teammates after that sorry home loss to the starless Warriors.”
He elaborated in a second post, making the situation plain: “This game is why you just can’t believe in Kevin Durant’s Rockets. No Steph, no Jimmy, no Zinger – overtime in Houston.”
NBA Insider and Reporter for Clutch Points, Brett Seigel, captured the full scope of Golden State’s absentee list before landing on the bigger picture: “Without Steph Curry, Kristaps Porzingis, Moses Moody, Will Richard, and Gary Payton II, and playing all three of their two-way players, the Warriors take down the Rockets in Houston 115-113 in overtime. The Warriors are not punting this season away and are weathering the storm.”
ESPN’s Anthony Slater was equally struck by the magnitude of the result. He wrote, “Warriors celebrate maybe their most impressive win this season. They beat the Rockets in Houston despite missing Butler, Curry, Porzingis. Three two-way guys in the rotation. Podziemski 26 points. Draymond/Horford great defensively vs Durant/Sengun.”
The Athletic’s Will Guillory dug into the Rockets’ side of the ledger and found plenty to critique. “Really bad loss for Houston on a night when Reed Sheppard scored 30 points off the bench and Amen Thompson had 18 points and 10 rebounds,” Guillory wrote. “Houston didn’t really turn up its effort until the second half and it came back to bite them.”
He also singled out the moment that will define the night’s narrative: “Two massive missed free throws by Kevin Durant late in OT. Something you rarely see.”
How the Warriors Pulled This Win Off
Brandin Podziemski was the undeniable story for Golden State. The young guard poured in 26 points, including five straight in overtime that proved to be the decisive margin.
De’Anthony Melton added 23 points and a crucial put-back layup with 5.3 seconds remaining in overtime that effectively ended Houston’s hopes. Al Horford quietly stuffed the stat sheet with 17 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists, while Draymond Green, celebrating his 36th birthday, delivered what his head coach called a vintage performance.
“I thought that was vintage Draymond. The defense, the leadership, a force, the passing,” Steve Kerr said after the game. “If we play well like we did tonight, we got a shot against anybody.”
For the Rockets, the box score told an uncomfortable story. Durant finished with 23 points but shot 4-of-6 from the free-throw line, including two missed freebies in overtime. And guess what? One of the free throws came with Houston trailing by three and could have forced a completely different endgame.
Alperen Sengun went 8-of-20 from the field, and Jabari Smith Jr. was a remarkable 0-of-8. Houston falls to 38-23 and will now face the Portland Trail Blazers on the second night of a back-to-back with some uncomfortable questions still unanswered.
