Steph Curry and Draymond Green were absent for the Golden State Warriors‘ game against the Houston Rockets on Thursday night, but it didn’t seem to matter.
Warriors Continue Dominance
Jonathan Kuminga had an outstanding performance, scoring a career-best 33 points. This led the Warriors to their 15th consecutive victory over the Rockets with a final score of 99-93. This win also ended their five-game losing streak while extending their winning streak against Houston, who hasn’t defeated them since February 2020.
KUMINGA GOING OFF ๐ฅ
Tough and-1 for a new career-high 33 PTS!
Puts GSW up 5 in the closing seconds on NBA TV.
— NBA (@NBA)
Rockets’ Missed Opportunities
The Rockets have had several chances to beat the Warriors. Just last month, they faced a Warriors team without Curry and managed to come back from a 31-point deficit to force overtime. However, Kuminga’s six points in overtime secured another win for Golden State at 127-121. On January 21, 2022, Curry hit a buzzer-beater that sealed yet another victory over Houston.
STEPHEN. CURRY. DAGGER. ๐ก๏ธ
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors)
Historical Rivalry
The rivalry between these two teams isn’t new. Between 2015 and 2019, the Warriors defeated the Rockets four times in playoff series, achieving a record of 16-7 against James Harden’s squad during those years. Even when Curry was injured and Klay Thompson was out for the season in December 2019, they still won against Houston on Christmas Day despite finishing that season with just 15 wins overall.
Fans can’t help but feel like history keeps repeating itself!
Dillon Brooks’ Struggles
Dillon Brooks probably felt this loss more than anyone else due to his long-standing feud with Draymond Green and past playoff battles as part of the Memphis Grizzlies. Kuminga’s decisive layup happened right under Brooks’ watchful eye as he tried unsuccessfully to stop him. But don’t worryโHouston will get another shot at redemption soon enough! The upcoming NBA Cup quarterfinals in Houston will offer them one more chance to finally overcome Golden State and break this cycle of defeats.
