The Warriors NBA-record home postseason winning streak came to an end after Golden State fell 95-92 to the Rockets in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals on Tuesday. Stephen Curry, who scored 17 of his team-best 28 points in the third quarter, had a chance to tie the game at the end of regulation, but his three-pointer bounced off the front rim after time had expired, clinching the victory for Houston. Kevin Durant was right behind Curry with 27 points and notched a double-double with 11 rebounds, while Draymond Green filled the stat sheet with 11 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists. The series is now tied at two games apiece heading into Game 5 in Houston on Thursday.
TEAM LEADERS
ONE-SIDED QUARTERS
Game 4 was the first game of the series with a single digit scoring margin, but the individual quarters that comprised it were not nearly as tight. The Warriors began the game on a 12-0 run, as Houston missed their first eight shots of the contest, and Golden State would go on to outscore the Rockets 28-19 in the first frame. Then, Houston flipped the game on its head in the second, outscoring Golden State 34-18 in that quarter to take a 53-46 lead into halftime.
The seesaw nature of the game carried over to the second half, as the Warriors put forth yet another dominant third quarter. Golden State outscored Houston 34-17 in the third frame, as Stephen Curry single-handedly matched the Rockets’ scoring output. Then, in the fourth, it was all Rockets, as Houston outscored the Warriors 25-12 in the fourth and final frame to steal the victory and tie the series.
CURRY IN THE THIRD, AGAIN
It didn’t prove to be enough, but for awhile there, it looked like Stephen Curry might carry the Warriors to another victory with another patented third quarter explosion. After struggling in the first half with eight points on eight shots, Curry knocked down a three-pointer 47 seconds into the third frame, and got scorching hot from there. In total, he’d score 17 points in the quarter on 6-of-10 shooting, including 5-of-8 from three-point range.
It marked the second-straight game and 11th time in his career that Curry has scored at least 17 points in a single quarter of a postseason game. Of those 11, eight have come in the third quarter, including both occasions this series.
TURNOVERS
The Warriors’ number of assists is usually a fairly good indicator of how well they’ve played, and the fact that they lost Tuesday’s game may come as no surprise after seeing they totaled just 14 assists in the contest. That total was actually two more assists than the Rockets had as a team, but less than half of Golden State’s league-leading average during the regular season. The Dubs accumulated just three assists in each of the first two quarters, and only one in the decisive fourth frame.
UP NEXT
Now tied at two games apiece, the Warriors and Rockets will travel back to Houston to face each other in Game 5 on Thursday night.