Reed Sheppard's career-high 31 points powered Houston's comeback, overcoming injuries and Warriors physicality in a nail-biting road victory.
The Houston Rockets booked their second straight win on the road on Wednesday over the Golden State Warriors in a physical, high-contact matchup with seven Warriors picking up three or more fouls. Despite Golden State’s aggressive defense, Houston found a way to close- and they did it without Kevin Durant or Steven Adams. Not only were they missing two key starters, but the other two stars had off shooting nights.
Amen Thompson put up just ten points all night, while Alperen Sengun went 7-for-18 from the field. Nevertheless, Houston still pulled it off in the fourth and walked out with another victory, putting them at 12-2 over the last 14 games (7-2 away).
Once again, the Rockets have their young guard to thank for bailing them out. Reed Sheppard flooded the highlight reel, setting new career highs, flirting with a double-double with 31 points (four threes) and nine rebounds. He’s clearly getting more and more comfortable in the paint, and continues to play fast, smart ball, even when defenders have the freedom to guard tighter without Durant on the floor.
The Rockets are quickly becoming one of the better closing teams in the league- this one all came down to the last few minutes. Sheppard nabbed five rebounds and sank seven buckets in the second half, helping erase the Golden State’s 14-point lead. The Warriors are typically one of the best third-quarter teams.
This time they decided to take a nap and Houston punished them for it. The Rockets clawed their way back to take their first lead of the game in the final stretch after Amen Thompson buried a clean three, and they kept it for most of the rest of the game.
Steph Curry limped off the court in the fourth quarter after appearing to hurt his knee after an aggressive collision with Thompson and sat for the final few minutes of the game. It’s unlikely it really mattered, though- he only went 1-for-6 in his time on the court in the second half. Four of his 14-point contribution of the night came from the free throw line, as he shot at just 30.8-percent all night, per the NBA Box Score.
The score was 102-100 Rockets with five seconds on the clock when Sheppard knocked down two clutch free throws to seal the deal. This wasn’t an easy win, but it was a true test of Houston’s depth- and shorthanded as they were, they persevered.
The Rockets will play their first round of back-to-back games next week, so they’ll be without that rest advantage they’ve enjoyed all season. Durant is expected to be back for Sunday’s game against the Jazz in Utah; Steven Adams is still day-to-day.