Rockets End the Warriors Win Streak on a Wild Night in Houston

The Houston Rockets ended the Golden State Warriors' eight-game win streak with a 115-108 win Wednesday night at Toyota Center, on a night that saw Stephen Curry exit in the first quarter and Marcus Smart get tossed in the third. Houston never trailed and improved to 9-3, while Golden State fell to 8-4.

The Rockets came out swinging and built a 35-20 lead after one. The Warriors got much bigger news with around seven minutes left in the first, when Curry drilled a deep three, grabbed at his right side and walked straight to the locker room. Golden State later ruled him out with a right abdominal strain.

Golden State was pretty sloppy early, but their bench turned it into a ballgame in the second. LJ Cryer and Yaxel Lendeborg led the push as the Warriors won the frame 31-21, and Houston went into the break holding a 56-51 lead.

Things got chippy in the closing seconds of the third, when Smart and Charles Bassey got tangled up and kept jawing as Amen Thompson finished a fast-break and-one. Smart then threw a nasty right hook that officials said made contact with Bassey's nose. A review confirmed a Flagrant 2 and an ejection, but Smart was already headed to the locker room. Keep in mind that throwing a punch carries a minimum one-game suspension under today’s league rules.

Houston answered in the fourth as Reed Sheppard buried three threes, two of them back-to-back off Alperen Şengün feeds. Fred VanVleet's 31-footer with around three and a half minutes left pushed the lead up to 18.

Şengün was steady all night with 19 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists- one dime shy of a triple-double. Thompson had 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting, Durant led the way with 20 and VanVleet added 18 with a game-best plus-25. Houston owned the paint 50-34 and won fast-break points 19-7, the same physical edge that helped end Boston's streak.

Brandin Podziemski finished with 22 and De'Anthony Melton scored 11 after replacing Curry in the lineup, but Lendeborg was the one who caught Durant's eye. The No. 11 pick out of Michigan finished with 25 points and 10 rebounds, and Durant gave the rookie his flowers in his on-court interview. "It's a problem being that tall and having that skill too," Durant said. "I'm grateful that I got to play against him tonight."

Houston has won two straight since snapping their skid against Denver, a skid that started with their first home loss to Minnesota. The Utah Jazz visit Toyota Center on Friday, and Smart's status is worth watching.

Streaks like Golden State's don't end quietly, and Houston made sure the Warriors felt every bit of this one- a proper fall from grace.

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