The Golden State Warriors have missed a huge opportunity to grab outright hold of the fourth-seed in the Western Conference, having had their five-game winning-streak snapped in a 106-96 loss to the Houston Rockets at Chase Center on Sunday.
In what was a hard-fought game for the majority, the pivotal play may have come early in the third-quarter when Draymond Green was controversially adjudged a flagrant foul on a made layup where he collected Alperun Sengun in the face.
Not only did it wipe away a basket, but it was Green’s fifth personal foul which forced the veteran forward out of the game for the rest of the third-quarter. The Warriors were fighting uphill from that point on, with Houston’s defense on Jimmy Butler and particularly Stephen Curry proving too much for the hosts to overcome.
Stephen Curry went ice cold after his recent explosion
The 2x MVP had entered with an extraordinary 125 points over his last three games, but the elite Rockets defense wasn’t about to let that continue on Sunday. Curry went from being red-hot to one of his worst games of the season, finishing with just three points on 1-of-10 shooting including 1-of-8 from 3-point range.
Butler was also quiet with just seven field-goal attempts and 13 points to go with five rebounds and three assists, with the visitors clearly focused on making other Warrior players beat them in a tactic that ultimately worked to perfection.
Draymond received a flagrant 1 for this controversial play pic.twitter.com/6r8SG0URbF
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) April 7, 2025
Buddy Hield did get going with six threes and a team-high 20 points, while Brandin Podziemski continued his excellent form with 19 points, six rebounds and four assists. The Rockets were clearly happy to let those guys generate scoring though, with Gary Payton II also scoring 16 points off the bench.
Despite all the offensive struggles and Green’s foul issues, Golden State did pull within two early in the fourth-quarter. They’ll come back to rue some missed open 3-point opportunities during that period, having shot less than 42% from the floor for the game.
Curry, Green and Podziemski also combined for 12 of the team’s 20 turnovers, while the Rockets took advantage of their extra size on the glass with 15 offensive rebounds. Dillon Brooks had 24 points on a super efficient 10-of-13 shooting, while Sengun added a 19-point, 14-rebound double double.
The Warriors are now one of five teams with 32 losses in what’s an historically close Western Conference playoff race, with a visit to Phoenix to face the Suns at Footprint center coming on Tuesday.
