Curry heats up as Warriors extend Rockets’ home skid

Stephen Curry scored 21 of his game-high 40 points in the fourth quarter and Andrew Wiggins chipped in 23 points as the Golden State Warriors handed the Houston Rockets their 11th consecutive home loss, 122-108, on Monday, January 31 (Tuesday, February 1, Manila time).

The Warriors earned their sixth win in a row while the Rockets dropped their fourth straight overall.

Curry, who shot 7-for-10 overall in the final frame, including 4-for-7 from three-point range, recorded his sixth 40-point game of the season. He added 5 rebounds and 9 assists.

Wiggins grabbed 5 rebounds and shot 8-of-14 for the Warriors, who hit 53.8% from the floor and went 17-of-40 (42.5%) from behind the three-point arc.

Christian Wood (24 points, 13 rebounds) and Kevin Porter Jr. (17 points, 11 assists) posted double-doubles for the Rockets, who cut an 18-point, third-quarter deficit to 4 in the fourth but could not contain Curry long enough to maintain momentum.

The Rockets were undone by 8 third-quarter turnovers that Golden State parlayed into 12 points. Houston clawed within 68-65 on a Porter three-pointer at the 6:25 mark before Curry started cooking, first sinking 3 free throws and then a three-pointer. He buried another trey that pushed the lead to 80-67, and when Jordan Poole hit a three-pointer with 2:17 left in the period, the lead was 18.

However, Houston cut that margin in half by the close of the frame courtesy of three-pointers from Porter, Eric Gordon, and Josh Christopher, who beat the buzzer to pull the Rockets to within 87-78.

The Rockets started the game 0-for-7 from the floor and fell into a 10-0 hole before Jalen Green ended the scoreless start with free throws at the 7:44 mark of the first. Wood delivered the Rockets’ first field goal, a three-pointer just, 25 seconds later, and suddenly Houston was off and running, riding a 15-4 run that featured 3 Wood threes into their first lead of the contest.

Wood poured in 14 first-quarter points and the Rockets led 25-23 entering the second before the Warriors hit their stride.

Golden State answered another Wood three-pointer with a 10-0 spurt that extended a four-point lead to 56-42 on a pair of Wiggins free throws. Wiggins sank a 20-foot step-back during the rally and added a fadeaway jumper and a three-pointer down the stretch of the half to help the Warriors carry a 61-52 lead to the break.

Wiggins matched Wood with 17 points in the half. – Rappler.com