NBA Cup - Curry 19 points Golden State out! The Rockets advanced to end a 15-game losing streak against the Warriors in the semifinals against the Thunder

On December 12, Beijing time, in the 2024-25 NBA Cup Western Conference 1/4 finals, Podzemski's last three-point kill was blocked, and the Warriors finally lost to the Rockets 90-91 away, and the Rockets advanced to the semifinals. The opponent of the Rockets in the semifinals is the Thunder led by Shay Gilgeous Alexander. The NBA Cup semifinals will begin in Las Vegas on December 15. Meanwhile, the Warriors' 15-game winning streak against the Rockets came to an end.

Statistics

Warriors: Curry had 19 points and 5 assists, with a career total of 6,242 assists, surpassing Jerry West (6,238) and rising to 36th in the NBA league's total assists list; Hield 15 points, Kuminga 20 points, Lee Kyle 0 points

Rockets: Shin Kyung 26 points and 11 rebounds, Jabari Smith Jr. 15 points, Jalen Green 12 points

Background

The Warriors got their revenge by beating the Timberwolves 114-106 in their last game and are currently in fifth place in the West with a 14-9 record. In the regular season this season, the Warriors have won against the Rockets twice, both in Curry's absence. The Warriors, meanwhile, have won 15 straight games against the Rockets, with their last loss coming on February 21, 2020 (when the Warriors lost 105-135 to the Rockets). In addition, the Warriors and the Rockets have faced each other in the playoffs several times over the past decade, with the Warriors eliminating the Rockets in 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2019. Although the NBA Cup is not as intense as the playoffs, today's matchup is still in the spotlight. In response, Curry said: "It's a little bit different from the playoffs, but we all want to go to Las Vegas, so we're going to do our best. "It's worth mentioning that Wiggins missed the game with an ankle injury.

The Rockets beat the Clippers 117-106 last time out, ending a two-game losing streak and currently sitting in third place in the West with a 16-8 record. The Rockets are averaging 113.6 points per game this season and conceding just 106.6 points per game, ranking among the top two in the league in defensive efficiency, second only to the Thunder. In addition, the Rockets are averaging 49.9 rebounds per game, the most of any team in the league.

Game recap

The Rockets, who were playing at home, took the lead in attacking, and Shin Jing rushed to the basket to score the ball. Dream Green hadn't even entered the game, and there were three mistakes in 130 seconds, but fortunately, his teammates were very good. Curry hit a three-pointer from the outside, and Kuminga was even more energetic, scoring eight points on consecutive free throws to help the Warriors tie the score at 15. Dillon's 2+1 helped the Rockets respond, and the Warriors' offense suddenly stalled, scoring a single point for the next three and a half minutes. It wasn't until one minute left in the quarter that Curry's three-pointer helped the Warriors break the deadlock. The Rockets relied on Ethan's layup to take a 20-18 lead over the Warriors at the end of the first quarter. In addition, the Rockets shot just 10% (1-of-10) from three-point range in the first quarter, while the Warriors shot 25% from three-point range (3-of-12).

In the second quarter, the Warriors made two more turnovers in a row, and the Rockets took the opportunity to play a wave of 8-2 small surges, rewriting the score to 28-20. Jackson Davis and Dream dunks couldn't stop the Rockets, and the home team went on another 12-2 run to extend the lead to as many as 14 points. After returning from the timeout, Podemsky hit a three-pointer, Hield and others also made contributions, relying on an 11-2 counterattack wave, the Warriors chased the score to 37-42 and forced the Rockets to stop. The game restarted, and the Warriors didn't score a point in the final 1:20 of the quarter, and the Rockets led the Warriors 44-37 at the end of the first half thanks to Shin Kyung's layup. It is worth mentioning that the Warriors shot 38.1% (16-of-42) in the first half and only 18.2% (4-of-22) from three-point range; The Rockets shot 43.5 percent from the field (20-of-46) and just 7.7 percent from three-point range (1-of-13).

Yibian fought again, and the Warriors continued to chase points, and after a wave of 8-3 offensive, the difference was narrowed to 2 points. At the critical moment, VanVleet and Smith Jr. teamed up for two three-pointers to defend the Rockets' lead. But the Warriors were on offense at this time, and under Curry's leadership, the Warriors overtook the score 60-59. Layups by Amen Thompson and Dillon helped the Rockets stabilize their morale. However, Watson and Hield combined for three three-pointers and responded immediately. The Rockets relied on Shin Kyung's 2+1 to chase the score to 68-69 at the end of the third quarter.

In the final quarter, Curry continued to attack the basket from the outside, and after a 9-4 mini-surge, the Warriors led 78-72. At the critical moment, Eason hit a three-pointer from the bottom corner to help the Rockets stabilize their morale and force the Warriors to stop. The game restarted, Dillon made a steal and quickly hit a fast-break dunk to close the gap to 1 point. The Warriors were not weak, and at 6:13, Watson hit the Warriors' 10th three-pointer of the game. A few rounds later, Smith Jr. returned the color in the same way. With the score deadlocked, Hield managed to steal Van Jordan, and then Podzemski made a contribution from the outside. At 4:26, Curry returned to the court and assisted Kuminga to hit a three-pointer to give the Warriors an 89-82 lead. Shin Kyung's steady free throws kept the Rockets in the game. After three consecutive offenses all missed, the Rockets narrowed the score to three points again with a three-pointer from VanVleet. With 36 seconds left, Smith Jr. missed a three-pointer, but the rebound was still in the hands of the Rockets. After returning from a timeout, Shin Jing made a layup, Curry missed a three-point attempt, and Jalen Green successfully steals Payton Jr. In 3.5 seconds, Jalen Green caused Kuminga to foul defensively, Jalen Green hit 2 free throws, and the Rockets took a 91-90 lead, leaving the Warriors with 3.5 seconds. The game restarted, and Podzemsky's three-point shot was blocked, and the Rockets finally won.

Both sides start

Warriors: Stephen Curry, Buddy Hield, Jonathan Kuminga, Draymond Green, Gary Payton II

Rockets: Alperen Shenjing, Jabari Smith Jr., Dillon Brooks, Jalen Green, Fred VanVleet