Collapse of Curry and Golden State for decider in Texas

Houston is still alive—they saved a second match point against Golden State and forced a Game 7, bringing the series back to Texas and home court! The Rockets smothered their opponent with focused play and a defensive masterclass in the fourth quarter, silencing Chase Center and fully earning a 107–115 victory.

Throughout the game, the visitors managed to maintain a small lead (mostly two to three possessions), and in the decisive quarter, instead of a Warriors surge, it was Ime Udoka’s supersonic Rockets who showed up.

They forced Steph Curry into a barrage of extremely difficult shots, and once he stalled, so did the entire Golden State offense. The Rockets capitalized during a stretch where Steve Kerr's squad couldn't hit anything, going on a 17–5 run midway through the fourth to pull ahead 103–89.

In a desperate move, the Warriors resorted to repeatedly fouling poor Steven Adams off the ball—he’s known as one of the worst free-throw shooters in the NBA. But even he got his points. The New Zealand center, who averages just four points in this postseason, finished with 17 (free throws 9/16) and became the X-factor for the visitors—especially thanks to his massive defensive presence, including blocks, key rebounds, and rim protection.

Golden State’s cunning tactic didn’t work, as they shot a miserable 8/24 from the field in the final quarter (most of those points came after the game was already decided) and an abysmal 1/13 from three. Curry’s 29 and Jimmy Butler’s 27 points were wasted, while on the winning side, Fred VanVleet shined with 29 points in 40 minutes. The veteran point guard hit six of nine three-pointers and flirted with a triple-double, grabbing eight rebounds and dishing eight assists.

Alperen Sengun was omnipresent as well, posting 21 points, 14 rebounds, and six assists leading to teammates' baskets.

It was clear again tonight just how much VanVleet's increased contributions have meant to Houston in this series. In the first three games, the 31-year-old scored 10, 7, and 17 points, respectively. Then he dropped 25 in Game 4, 26 in Game 5, and now carried the team to victory with clutch threes and 29 total points.

Minnesota coach Chris Finch, ahead of Game 6, had commented on the Golden State–Houston series, saying he’d be surprised if it didn’t end in some kind of physical altercation, given how many sparks had flown in every game.

And those sparks weren’t missing tonight either—from Draymond Green’s unsportsmanlike foul right at the start to an unusual 10-second “hug” between Butler and Thompson during a dead ball, which had to be broken up by the referees.

So, it wouldn’t be surprising if we see a physical escalation in Game 7, with nerves stretched to the breaking point.