Rockets steal thriller in San Francisco as Sengun’s late finish sinks Warriors 117-116
The Rockets walked into Chase Center on Sunday night and handled just about everything a road team could face.
A third-quarter push from Golden State. A roaring building. Stephen Curry is back on the floor for the first time in more than two months. One last frantic minute that felt like it might slip away.
And still, the Rockets found a way.
Houston escaped with a 117-116 win over the Warriors, surviving a wild closing stretch when Alperen Sengun scored the go-ahead layup with 11 seconds left off a perfectly timed feed from Kevin Durant. Curry had one final look from deep in the closing seconds, but the shot missed, and the Rockets left San Francisco with their sixth straight victory.
For a team that has let games like this get loose before, this one felt different. It felt tougher. Sharper. More mature.
Rockets close strong when the game gets tight
For most of the night, the Rockets were the steadier team.
They shook off an early seven-point deficit, took control in the second quarter, then delivered their best stretch after halftime. Houston poured in 37 points in the third and looked ready to put the game away when it built a 10-point edge entering the fourth.
But no lead is comfortable in this building, not with Curry back and the Warriors sensing life.
Golden State came charging in the final minutes. Gary Payton II gave the Warriors a 116-115 lead with 19 seconds left after an Amen Thompson goaltending call flipped the scoreboard and the arena all at once. It looked, for a moment, like the Rockets were about to wear another painful late-game collapse.
Instead, Durant slowed everything down.
Out of a timeout, he drew the defense and found Sengun cutting to the rim. Sengun finished the layup with 11 seconds left, calm under pressure, giving Houston the lead right back. It was simple basketball at the biggest moment of the night, and it was exactly the right play.
That sequence said a lot about these Rockets. No panic. No hero ball. Just the right read, the right cut, the right finish.
Kevin Durant leads the Rockets with poise and precision
Durant was the organizing force all night.
He finished with 31 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists, and the numbers only tell part of the story. He controlled tempo, created clean looks, and delivered when Houston needed a steady hand. His 3-pointer with 2:10 remaining gave the Rockets breathing room in a game that was starting to wobble.
Even his missed jumper with 38 seconds left didn’t define the night, because Durant answered immediately on the next possession with the pass that won the game.
He also made his presence felt defensively, blocking three shots and cleaning up possessions when the Warriors tried to speed up the game. Against his former team, Durant looked fully in command, never rushed, never rattled.
The Rockets needed every bit of that composure.
Alperen Sengun and Jabari Smith Jr. give the Rockets balance
Houston’s star power mattered, but this win was not a one-man show.
Sengun finished with 24 points and seven assists, and he was central to almost everything the Rockets did well offensively. He scored inside, stepped out enough to keep the defense honest, and kept the ball moving when the Warriors loaded up on Durant. His game-winner was the headline, but his full night was even more important.
Jabari Smith Jr. added 23 points and nine rebounds, knocking down five of his seven attempts from beyond the arc. He gave Houston space when Golden State packed the lane, and he had the kind of efficient, controlled scoring night that good teams need from their secondary options.
Amen Thompson also played a major role with 18 points and seven assists. His stat line came with one obvious blemish, the late goaltending call, but he was active and disruptive throughout the game and helped fuel Houston’s transition attack.
Reed Sheppard chipped in 11 points, and Aaron Holiday added six off the bench as the Rockets shot 55 percent from the field and nearly 45 percent from 3-point range.
That kind of efficiency is hard to waste. The Rockets almost did. Then they didn’t.
Stephen Curry’s return nearly spoils the Rockets’ night
This was supposed to be Curry’s night.
He returned after missing 27 straight games with a right knee injury and immediately changed the energy in the building. He checked in to a standing ovation, came off the bench for the first time in a regular-season game since 2012, and looked remarkably sharp for a player who had been out that long.
Curry scored 29 points in just 26 minutes on 11-of-21 shooting. He hit five 3-pointers, got downhill late, and nearly dragged Golden State all the way back.
In the closing stretch, he was everywhere. A layup cut Houston’s lead to one with 1:27 to play. A big 3-pointer moments later made it 115-114. And after the Warriors grabbed the lead, the ball found him again for the final shot.
It missed, but not by much.
That’s what made the finish so tense for Houston. The Rockets didn’t just beat the Warriors. They had to hold off the very thing that has buried so many teams in this arena over the years: a Curry avalanche.
Rockets show signs of a team growing up
There are wins that look good in the standings, and then there are wins that tell you something.
This felt like the second kind.
The Rockets are now 49-29 and winners of six straight. More importantly, they showed they can survive an emotional road game without losing their shape. They got big nights from their stars, meaningful contributions from their young core, and just enough calm at the end to finish what they started.
Houston also won the season series against Golden State 2-1, a useful detail and not a meaningless one. The Rockets have been trying to build credibility, and games like this are how it happens.
Not every possession was clean. Not every late decision was perfect. But the Rockets were resilient, and in April, that matters as much as anything.
They’ll head to Phoenix next, carrying momentum and a little more belief.
Because this was more than a close win.
For the Rockets, this looked like proof.
