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Michael C. Wright
SAN FRANCISCO — Stephen Curry changed direction with a behind-the-back dribble as Amen Thompson pursued.
Once Thompson planted to run the opposite direction, Draymond Green decked the 22-year-old with a crushing screen that left him writhing in pain. Not a second later, Curry hit the floor, too, the aftermath of a Dillon Brooks body check that set off a minor skirmish.
As usual, the Houston Rockets flexed the requisite physicality to thrive in the postseason. But costly miscues served as the catalyst for a 109-106 loss to Golden State in Game 4 of the opening round of the Western Conference playoffs, as the Warriors seized a 3-1 series lead.
“Guys are down, but they understand that the game we played well — the one game out of four [Game 2] – we had a blowout win and other games, it’s been a one-possession game, or we’ve had a fourth quarter lead and not played well,” Rockets coach Ime Udoka said. “Consistency wins in this series, and we’ve talked about that from Day 1. We have to be more consistent across the board.”
For Houston, that could’ve started at the free-throw line. The Rockets misfired on 12 of their 31 attempts, which ranks as the most missed free throws in a single game by any team this postseason, according to ESPN Research. In fact, Houston missed the same number of free throws as 3-pointers against a Warriors squad that hit 20 of 22 from the foul line.
The woes from the stripe diminished a night in which Alperen Sengun (31 points), Fred VanVleet (25 points) and Thompson (17 points) stepped up with major contributions in the face of Golden State again blitzing and double-teaming point guard Jalen Green, who attempted just 8 field goals as a non-factor for the second consecutive contest.
“These [last two] games suck,” VanVleet said. “We had two [games] that could have went our way. This is the playoffs. The margin of error is so slim they can go either way. And you learn that it comes down to possessions. Possessions are so important.”
Golden State has outscored the Rockets 22-10 this series during clutch time (defined as the final five minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime with the score within 5 points), including 12-8 down the stretch of Game 4. The Warriors’ assist-to-turnover ratio during clutch time this series stands at 6-0.
They’ve also won all three games this series that have come down to clutch time.
“We’ve just got to be disciplined, don’t let them get in our minds,” Sengun said. “[It’s a] physical series, and it’s not over yet.”
The series returns to Houston on Wednesday for Game 5 at the Toyota Center.
“We’re going home to get one,” VanVleet said. “This s— is not impossible, bro. We’re going to get it, and you’ve got to get it one game at a time.”
