By Juan Carlos Blanco, RotoWire
LAS VEGAS — The Houston Rockets rallied in the fourth quarter to defeat the Golden State Warriors, 87-81, in the Las Vegas Summer League at Thomas and Mack Center on Sunday.
The Warriors led all but the opening minutes of the first half and took a 50-41 advantage into halftime before increasing the lead to 15 points, 67-52, by the end of the third quarter. The Rockets, though, used a 21-4 fourth-quarter run to move ahead 73-71 with 5:09 remaining, their first lead since 7:53 of the first quarter.
Tied 80-80 with 2:16 to play, the Rockets got a De’Anthony Melton pullup jumper and five free throws down the stretch to put away the Warriors for good.
R.J. Hunter scored 24 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the field, including 5-of-11 from 3-point range, to lead the Rockets (2-0). Melton added 17 points, five rebounds, four steals and a block. Isaiah Hartenstein finished with 12 points and seven rebounds, and Danuel House had 10 points, five rebounds and five assists.
The Warriors (1-1) were led by Marcus Derrickson, who totaled 23 points and seven rebounds. Omari Johnson had 10 points and five rebounds. First-round pick Jacob Evans, who suffered bruised ribs Thursday in the California Classic Summer League in Sacramento, mustered five points on 2-of-8 shooting, including 0-of-5 from long range, in 25 minutes.
Both teams are back in action Monday, as the Warriors face the Dallas Mavericks and the Rockets play the Los Angeles Clippers.
