Stephen Curry, Warriors Eliminated from NBA Cup, Ripped By Fans for Loss vs. Rockets

The Houston Rockets finally beat the Golden State Warriors.

Houston ended Golden State’s 15-game winning streak in head-to-head matchups with a dramatic 91-90 victory at the Toyota Center in Wednesday’s NBA Cup quarterfinals showdown. The Rockets advanced to Las Vegas and will face the Oklahoma City Thunder in the semifinals.

It seemed like the Warriors were going to cruise to victory with a six-point lead in the final two minutes, but a stunning sequence featuring a Fred VanVleet three, Draymond Green turnover, Alperen Şengün basket, Gary Payton II turnover and Jalen Green free throws after a questionable foul call on a loose ball gave the Rockets the win.

Brandin Podziemski had a look at the buzzer to win it, but Jabari Smith Jr. swatted it away.

Şengün finished with 26 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and three steals to lead the way, but it was fitting that a defensive play from Smith finished the victory. After all, Houston’s defense set the tone throughout the game and forced 15 turnovers while holding Stephen Curry to 19 points in defeat.

Social media reacted to the shocking turnaround:

Golden State already won the first two matchups against the Rockets earlier this season when Curry wasn’t even available, so it seemed like it would have the advantage going into Wednesday’s contest.

However, the Houston defense had other ideas and held the visitors to a mere 37 points in the first half. Curry and Jonathan Kuminga found some space to operate, but there wasn’t enough secondary scoring for a team missing Andrew Wiggins (ankle) and Moses Moody (knee).

Turnovers were also a problem for the Warriors, which prevented them from settling into anything resembling an early offensive rhythm. Still, they were down just seven at the half in large part because of their own defense.

Staying within striking distance despite the early struggles was important, as Golden State took the lead in the third quarter as Buddy Hield found his shooting stroke and provided some of that secondary scoring that was missing at the start. One of Hield’s outside shots made him the 17th player in NBA history to hit 2,000 three-pointers in a career.

It set the stage for a back-and-forth finish with Şengün playing well for the Rockets on one side and the Warriors building momentum on the other.

As the back-and-forth continued in the fourth, players like Lindy Waters III, Brandin Podziemski and Kuminga hit key triples to maintain that momentum. It also helped having Draymond Green make a handful of impressive defensive plays to at least keep Şengün in check.

And then the Warriors went cold.

They didn’t score a point in the final three minutes of the game, and their final field goal came on a Kuminga three with 3:38 remaining. That opened the door for Houston’s comeback, and VanVleet, Şengün, Green and Smith took full advantage and delivered at winning time.