Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson combined for 52 points and 10 3-pointers on Monday night, helping the Golden State Warriors end a six-game losing streak with a 121-116 victory over the Houston Rockets in San Francisco.
Having lost all five contests to start a six-game homestand, Golden State used 21 3-pointers and a 63-39 scoring advantage from beyond the arc to defeat Houston for the 12th consecutive time.
Curry finished with a game-high 32 points and Thompson had 20 for the Warriors, who won for the first time in three outings since Draymond Green began a five-game suspension.
Chris Paul, a former Rocket, chipped in with 15 points and a team-high 12 assists as Golden State recorded just its second home win in eight tries this season.
Alperen Sengun (team-high 30 points, game-high 13 rebounds) and Fred VanVleet (10 points, game-high 14 assists) posted double-doubles for the Rockets, who completed a winless three-game swing through California. Jabari Smith Jr. supplied 17 points and nine rebounds for the visitors.
After leading by as many as five in the early going, Houston hung within 57-53 after two Jeff Green free throws with 1:30 remaining in the first half before Golden State began a gradual pull-away.
Curry’s four-point play completed a 6-0 run that produced a 10-point halftime advantage. Dario Saric and Brandin Podziemski then got into the 3-point act with one trey apiece late in the third quarter, extending the hosts’ advantage to 87-73 with 3:10 left until the fourth.
Houston clung within 115-108 after a VanVleet 3-pointer with 2:05 to go in the fourth, but the veteran point guard couldn’t connect on his next long-range attempt, one that could have made it a four-point game with 1:33 left.
Saric (two) and Curry (four) combined for six game-clinching free throws over the final 1:12.
Curry shot 5-for-9 on threes and 8-for-14 overall en route to his 32 points, while Thompson went 5-for-11 from deep and 7-for-16 overall.
Saric logged 18 points off the bench and Andrew Wiggins had 12 to go with a team-high seven rebounds for the Warriors, who had won at Houston on Oct. 29.
Dillon Brooks and Jalen Green had 16 points apiece and Aaron Holiday posted 13 to complement four steals for the Rockets, whose 6-6 season has consisted of two three-game skids sandwiching a six-game winning streak.
–Field Level Media