The Golden State Warriors, after match-defining performances from Buddy Hield and Stephen Curry, put the Houston Rockets out of the NBA playoffs on Sunday night to close out their opening-round Western Conference series.
The Warriors bagged a 103-89 win over the Rockets after a tough Game 7 at the Toyota Center. The Sunday win, thanks to Buddy Hield, gave them the 4–3 series win that sends them into the Western Conference semifinals for a third time in the past four years.
The win saved them from the 2016 nightmare of the NBA finals, where they became the 13th team in NBA history to fumble a 3-1 series lead against LeBron James and the Cavs.
Buddy Hield Dominated The First Half And Outshines Curry
It’s a known fact that Stephen Curry is the lifeline of the Warriors, but imagining that the Warriors will be up by 12 points at half-time with Stephen Curry having just three points would be absurd. However, that was what the Sunday match was all about.
Curry didn’t make his first shot until there were 33 seconds left in the first half, and somehow the Warriors were leading by 12 against the Rockets. And it’s all thanks to the MVP, Buddy Hield.
Buddy Hield played the most aggressive game of his professional life. He shot back-to-back six 3-pointers, scoring 22 points in just the first half. Hield accounted for almost 50% of the Warriors’ offense throughout the first half. He calmed down a little during the third quarter but scored 11 more points in the fourth quarter, taking him to 33 points.
Rockets Hold Curry in Check With Tight Defense
The Warriors’ biggest star, Stephen Curry, struggled offensively throughout the Warriors vs Rockets matchup. He missed his first five 3-pointers while only scoring three points by halftime. Houston used a shifting zone defense, especially to contain Curry, which seemed to work as we saw in the second quarter.
Houston shifted flawlessly between man-to-man and box-and-one defense strategies. The evolving strategy confused the Warriors’ offense, especially during the Warriors’ cold spell in the fourth quarter, where they missed 14 of their first 15 shots.
Despite their best attempts, the Rockets were unable to fully contain Stephen Curry. He led his team with six defensive rebounds, five assists, one steal, two blocks, and had a plus/minus of +16 in each half. Curry opened up opportunities for teammates while dodging the Rockets’ tight defense around him.
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