Fred VanVleet scored 14 of his game-high 26 points in a runaway first quarter as the Houston Rockets surged to a 131-116 victory over the visiting Golden State Warriors in Game 5 of a Western Conference first-round playoff series on Wednesday.
Houston seized control with a 15-0 run en route to a 40-point opening period. VanVleet made 4 of 5 shot attempts, including 3 of 4 from 3-point range, to pace the breakout frame for the Rockets, who went 13 of 13 from the free-throw line and constructed an 18-point lead during the onslaught.
The Warriors lead the best-of-seven series 3-2 with Game 6 set for Friday in San Francisco.
Houston’s Amen Thompson produced 25 points on 8-of-12 shooting and added six rebounds, five steals and three blocks, while Dillon Brooks tallied 24 points. Alperen Sengun flirted with a triple-double and posted 15 points, nine rebounds and nine assists before fouling out. Houston led by 31 points in the third quarter.
“I think our recognition has grown through this series,” Rockets coach Ime Udoka said of his team rising to the occasion in an elimination game. “It’s not going to happen overnight or (in) the first game, but we take some time and take away certain things, and that’s obviously going to be beneficial to us.
“We haven’t quit all year and don’t really back down from challenges, so I expected us to come out with that effort and focus tonight. We obviously locked in there and have to go do it in San Francisco next.”
Behind a spirited bench unit, the Warriors sliced the deficit to 13 points in the fourth quarter, forcing the Rockets to reinsert their starters midway through the period to reclaim control.
Moses Moody paired 25 points with nine rebounds off the Golden State bench. Stephen Curry was the lone starter to reach double figures for the Warriors with 13 points on 4-of-12 shooting.
VanVleet drilled a corner 3-pointer with 7:13 left in the first, lifting the Rockets to a 20-8 lead and capping the 15-0 run that answered a Draymond Green trey. Houston extended to a 31-13 lead when VanVleet nailed a 3-pointer in transition following an errant long-distance attempt from Jimmy Butler III.
“We were out of sorts from the beginning — especially defensively — and I think that carried over to our offense,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “It’s hard to play offense when you’re taking the ball out of the net every single play. I think at halftime their effective field-goal percentage was 95 percent. I’ve never seen that. You’re not winning that game.”
The Rockets scored seven fastbreak points in the opening period and kept up the pace in the second, expanding their lead to 54-24 before Curry ignited a brief rally. The Warriors pulled within 61-41 after a Butler three-point play with 2:57 remaining in the first half.
However, Thompson helped the Rockets close the half with a flourish with his steal, transition dunk and subsequent free throw following a Butler foul. The Rockets led 76-49 at the intermission.
–Field Level Media
