Houston — On Thursday night, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson contributed 29 points to help the Golden State Warriors win 133-110 over the Houston Rockets and extend their winning streak to six games.
Curry stated, “We know we can score against most teams but defense has been our calling card.” Thompson's 21 points gave the Warriors, who are 10th in the Western Conference, a 15-point advantage at halftime. He made seven 3-pointers, five in the first half.
“Man, he was smoking and that was fun to watch,” said coach Steve Kerr. “He felt it right away.” Kerr hopes to build on this momentum rather than the standings. Not worrying about that, we're just trying to win, he stated. Our run and basketball play are good. We'll try that for six games and see what happens."
They won the last 13 regular-season games versus Houston and are 3-0 this season. “We know what’s at stake and how important these last games are,” Thompson added. “So I thought we played with the urgency we needed to finish.” The Rockets lost their third straight after winning 11 straight, led by Jabari Smith Jr.'s 24 points. Cam Whitmore, a rookie, scored 17 bench points.
You have to up your level against higher quality, high IQ teams,” coach Ime Udoka remarked. “When you see that many slips to the basket and two men on one ball, it's a lack of communication or recognition of who you're guarding.” The win gave the Warriors their 38th and fourth consecutive winning season at 42-34.
Golden State led 16 after three and 20 when Kerr emptied the bench with four minutes left. On his 10th start of the season, Warriors rookie Trayce Jackson-Davis scored a career-high 20 points with five rebounds and four assists.
Kerr: “Trayce, for a rookie, it's amazing what he's doing. “He's gaining confidence with more playing time in the second half of the season.” The Warriors missed Jonathan Kuminga for a fifth straight game due to a knee ailment. Kerr stated he was better and would return Friday night.
Andrew Wiggins left the fourth quarter with an ankle injury, but Kerr claimed it wasn't severe. On Thursday, Houston's Alperen Sengun addressed media for the first time since severely spraining his right ankle March 10. Though he's improving, he's only at 60%, making it doubtful he'll return this season.
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