HOUSTON (AP) 鈥 Buddy Hield became an unlikely playoff hero for the Golden State Warriors, leading the team early in Game 7 against the Houston Rockets before Stephen Curry took over late.
Curry scored 14 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter, Hield made nine 3-pointers and scored 33 points, and the Warriors advanced to the Western Conference semifinals with a 103-89 win over the Houston Rockets on Sunday night.
鈥淲e were lucky to get out of this series,鈥 Golden State coach Steve Kerr said. “That was an incredibly impressive display of resolve.鈥
The Warriors will face the Timberwolves Tuesday night in Minnesota.
After not scoring in Game 6, Hield had a scorching first half with six 3-pointers and 22 points to carry the Warriors to a 12-point lead, with Curry scoring just three points before the break. and performed his signature 鈥渘ight night鈥 gesture as the Warriors put the Rockets away.
鈥淭his was not just a lights-out shooting performance for Buddy,鈥 Kerr said. 鈥淚t was a two-way performance. I thought his defense was fantastic.鈥
The Warriors became the seventh No. 7 seed in NBA history to advance to the semifinals and eliminated Houston in the playoffs for a fifth time. They sent the James Harden-led Rockets packing four times between 2015 and 2019.
None of the players from those teams remain with Houston, leading Fred VanVleet to say before the series that 鈥渢his ain’t that team.鈥
Draymond Green, who helped beat the Rockets in Game 7 in 2018 to advance to the NBA Finals, mentioned VanVleet’s quote before continuing.
鈥淚t鈥檚 that organization though,鈥 he said. 鈥淲e like coming to the city playing in these situations. It’s been good to us.鈥
Hield was 9 of 11 from 3-point range, setting an NBA record for a Game 7 and making more 3s than the Rockets, who were 6 of 18 from long range.
鈥淛ust trying to seize the moment and relish the moment and just be in the moment at the same time,鈥 Hield said. 鈥淛ust trying to be myself. But tonight was fun.鈥
Curry added 10 rebounds and seven assists.
Amen Thompson scored 24 points to lead Houston, which forced Game 7 with two straight wins but couldn’t put away the experienced Warriors.
鈥淲e had our chances in this series,鈥 Rockets coach Ime Udoka said. 鈥淲e all expected to continue to be playing, so it鈥檚 a letdown. It鈥檚 going to sting now, but use it as motivation and let鈥檚 all come back better.鈥
Golden State led by eight entering the fourth and opened the quarter with a 5-0 run, capped by a 3 from Curry, to make it 75-62.
Houston scored the next six points, but the Warriors used a 7-2 spurt with four points from Curry to make it 82-70 with about seven minutes left.
Curry made a contested 3, rebounded a missed jumper by Thompson and found Hield for an open corner 3 that made it 94-74 with 2:31 remaining.
That sent many of the red-clad Rockets fans streaming for the exits.
Jimmy Butler added 20 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for the Warriors, who improved to 28-11 since his debut on Feb. 8 after a trade from Miami.
VanVleet scored a combined 55 points in the last two games to help Houston extend the series. But he was limited to 17 points on 6-of-13 shooting Sunday to send the second-seeded Rockets home early in their first trip to the playoffs since 2020.
He was far from the only Rocket who struggled. Big man Alperen Sengun had 21 points and 14 rebounds. But he missed several easy shots on a 9-of-23 night.
Jalen Green, who had 38 points to lead Houston to a Game 2 win, finished with eight points.
鈥淔irst playoffs is no excuse,鈥 he said. 鈥淚鈥檝e got to be better.鈥
The Warriors played without key reserve Gary Payton II, who sat out with an illness that coach Steve Kerr said had him 鈥渟ick as a dog.鈥
Draymond Green added 16 points for the Warriors, who had four starters score in double figures.
___
AP NBA:
To join the conversation set a first and last name in your user profile.
Sign in or register for free to join the Conversation