Jonathan Kuminga registered a career-high 33 points, Andrew Wiggins went for 23 and the Golden State Warriors beat the Houston Rockets for the 15th consecutive time, 99-93, in San Francisco.
With Stephen Curry resting sore knees and Draymond Green dealing with a painful calf, Golden State used a 21-4 run bridging the second and third quarters to take a lead it never relinquished en route to snapping a five-game losing streak.
Attempting to beat the Warriors for the first time since February 2020, the Rockets got 16 points from Alperen Sengun and 15 from Dillon Brooks in a balanced attack while dropping their second straight.
Houston had the upper hand in the first 21 minutes of a low-scoring first half, leading 42-40, before Moses Moody buried a 3-pointer and Wiggins turned a 27-footer into a four-point play, highlighting a 9-1 burst that sent the Warriors into the break with a 49-43 lead.
Intermission didn’t kill Golden State’s momentum, as Wiggins and Kuminga nailed 3-pointers in a 12-3 flurry that opened a 61-46 advantage.
The Rockets got within four on two occasions in the game’s final 1:36, then as close as 96-93 on a Sengun layup with still 32.6 seconds remaining.
But Kuminga responded all three times, hitting from the interior, connecting on the second of two free throws and then converting a driving hoop with 16.9 seconds left, killing the visitors’ hopes.
The Warriors won despite shooting just 41.9 percent. The Rockets finished at 37.6 percent.
Kuminga’s point total was two more than his previous best, set in January against the Sacramento Kings.
Brandin Podziemski had a 12 rebounds to go with eight points, and Kevon Looney 11 boards for the Warriors, who will visit the Rockets in the NBA Cup quarterfinals on Wednesday.
Sengun and Amen Thompson had eight rebounds apiece for the Rockets, and Thompson and Fred VanVleet had five assists each.
Thompson and Jalen Green finished with 14 points apiece for the Rockets, while VanVleet added 13.
–Field Level Media
The Minnesota Timberwolves want to make their home court a little less inviting. A year ago, the Timberwolves dominated at home, where they went 30-11 during the regular season. That…
The Toronto Raptors will be out to avenge a humiliating defeat when they host the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night. The Grizzlies set a franchise record for points when they…
With the NBA trade deadline looming, the Miami Heat will visit the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night in a game that will highlight several key players not in uniform. The…
Raptors hope to wipe out memory of last meeting with Grizzlies
Sixers and Heat, both short-handed, set to tangle in Philly
Wizards ride rare winning streak into matchup with Nets
Cavaliers aim to maintain dominance of Pistons
Field Level Media - Professional sports content solutions | FLM
