The Houston Rockets beat the Golden State Warriors 115-108 on Wednesday at Toyota Center, improving to 9-3 behind a 35-point first quarter they never had to give back. Alperen Sengun finished one assist shy of a triple-double with 19 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists, and the Rockets led wire to wire.
Houston opened the game on an 18-5 run over the first seven minutes and led by as many as 18 points, according to the official box score. Golden State got 25 points and 10 rebounds from Yaxel Lendeborg off the bench, but the Warriors never found the separation to erase the early deficit, falling to 8-4.
Key Moments And How The Rockets Pulled Away
Houston’s first quarter set the tone. Kevin Durant and Sengun combined to score 15 of the Rockets’ first 23 points, and Houston closed the opening period on a 12-0 push. The Rockets led 35-20 after one quarter and shot 51% from the field for the game, outscoring Golden State 50-34 in the paint.
Golden State chipped away in the second and third quarters, pulling within four points at 43-47 late in the first half on a Lendeborg three-pointer, but Houston answered each time the Warriors got close. Houston’s largest lead was 18 points. The Warriors never led.
Houston also won the turnover battle in the open floor. The Rockets scored 19 fast-break points to Golden State’s seven and forced the Warriors into 13 turnovers while giving up 18 points off their own 11 giveaways, compared with 23 points Houston scored off Warriors turnovers.
Player Of The Game: Alperen Sengun
Sengun logged 37 minutes and went 8 for 14 from the field with 13 rebounds and nine assists. Fred VanVleet’s plus-25 led the Rockets. Durant led Houston in scoring with 20 points on 8-of-17 shooting, and Amen Thompson added 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting with seven rebounds.
VanVleet contributed 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting with four 3-pointers and posted a team-best plus-25, while Jabari Smith Jr. added 14 points and eight rebounds.
Rockets Vs. Warriors By The Numbers
Houston shot 51% from the field compared with 41% for Golden State, and the Rockets out-rebounded the Warriors’ offensive glass total of 16 with a stronger 31 defensive boards of their own. Golden State actually out-rebounded Houston overall 48-40, largely on the strength of 16 offensive rebounds, but could not convert that edge into enough second-chance scoring to close the gap. The Warriors shot 17 for 51 from 3-point range for 33%, while the Rockets hit 13 of 36 attempts for 36%. Houston also held a 26-22 edge in assists and a 7-5 edge in steals.
What’s Next
Houston improved to 9-3 overall and sits one game behind San Antonio in the Southwest Division. Golden State fell to 8-4 and trails Pacific-leading Los Angeles by 2.5 games.
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