|
All five Golden State starters scored in double
figures and the Warriors limited Houston to 16-of-51 shooting on
3-point attempts, helping the Christmas hosts win for the fourth
time while playing in the NBA holiday showcase each of the past
seven seasons.
The Rockets' Russell Westbrook led all scorers with 30 points,
but he shot just 11 of 32 overall and missed all eight of his
3-point attempts as Houston saw a four-game winning streak come
to an end.
Damion Lee paced the balanced Warriors attack with 22 points,
while Green and D'Angelo Russell went for 20 apiece, Robinson
added 18 and Willie Cauley-Stein had 10.
Houston led by as many as 13 points in the first half and seven
in the third quarter before Cauley-Stein and Marquese Chriss
slammed home dunks in a 10-0 Golden State run late in the third
period that allowed the Western Conference's worst team the
upset win.
Houston went back in front one last time at 97-96 on a 3-pointer
by James Harden with 7:59 remaining, but Golden State, which has
ended the Rockets' season in the playoffs in four of the past
five seasons, then dominated the rest of the game.
Robinson and Green led the fast finish with their 3-pointers,
helping Golden State score 20 of the game's last 27 points.
In extending its season-best winning streak to three games,
Golden State shot 47.1 percent for the game, easily better than
the Rockets' 37 percent.
Lee (career-high 15 rebounds) and Green (11 rebounds) both
completed double-doubles for the Warriors, who were thumped
127-101 at home by the Los Angeles Lakers last Christmas.
The double-double was just the second in the career of Lee, a
two-way player. He had his first earlier this season at New
Orleans with 23 points and a then-career-high 11 rebounds.
Harden shot well for the Rockets, scoring 24 points on 9-for-18
shooting and 6-for-10 from 3-point range, but the Warriors
effectively kept him off the free throw line (0 of 1) and
trapped him into giving up the ball on most second-half
possessions.
Harden finished with a game-high 11 assists.
Danuel House Jr. hit five 3-pointers to account for a majority
of his 18 points for the Rockets, who had won their previous six
road games.
Clint Capela recorded a 10-point, 11-rebound double-double for
Houston, while Westbrook collected a team-high 12 rebounds to
complete a the team's third double-double.
--Field Level Media
[© 2019 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2019 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
 |
|
