You knew it wouldn’t be easy, but the Warriors got it done. Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry knocked down clutch 3-pointers down the stretch and the Dubs beat the Rockets 127-120 for their first road win of the season on Sunday.
Thompson knocked down three of his 10 3-pointers in the final 5:15 of the game, and Curry’s improbable fade-away trey serve as a dagger. Thompson finished the game with 41 points, and Curry delivered 33 points and 15 assists for his second consecutive double-double.
Curry Dagger
“I don’t care if it’s a mid-November game, that felt great,” Thompson said.
Team Leaders
GSW
| Points | Rebounds | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| Thompson - 41 | Looney - 7 | Curry - 15 |
| Curry - 33 | Curry - 6 | D. Green - 8 |
| Wiggins - 22 | D. Green - 6 | Looney - 5 |
HOU
| Points | Rebounds | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| Porter - 30 | Eason - 8 | Porter - 6 |
| Smith - 22 | Sengun - 7 | Nix - 5 |
| Eason - 19 | Smith - 7 | Green - 4 |
DOWN THE STRETCH
The Warriors were down 108-107 with six minutes to go before Curry knocked down a 3-pointer to give the Dubs a lead. Thompson hit a splash of his own on the Warriors’ next possession, and each of the Splash Brothers would knock another trey in the game’s final 66 seconds. The Splash Brothers combined for 18 of the team’s final 20 points, knocking down five threes between them over the final half of the final quarter. For the game, Thompson and Curry combined for 74 points, hitting 17-for-27 from distance.
Splash Brothers Highlights vs. Houston | Curry and Thompson Combine for 74 Points
STANDOUT STATS
Thompson had 10 threes, Curry made seven and Andrew Wiggins (22 points) hit six treys, and their 23 combined splashes were the most by a trio in a single game in NBA history. Additionally, it marked the first time in team history that three Warriors players made at least six 3-pointers. Most of those 3-pointers came as a result of great Warriors ball movement and unselfish play, which was reflected by the team’s season-high 38 assists.
Steph Transition Splash
HOT START
The game couldn’t have started any better for the Warriors. They opened the game with an 11-0 run over the first three minutes, and they built an 18-point advantage in the period thanks in large part to a brilliant start from Klay Thompson. After the Splash Brother hit three threes during an 11-point first quarter In Friday’s win over the Knicks, Thompson had the hot hand once again from the opening tip, making his first six shots of the game. Thompson finished the quarter with 20 points with four made 3-pointers, as the Warriors had 40 points in the period for their highest scoring first quarter of the season.
JaMychal Green Poster Slam
BUT THEN THE SECOND QUARTER HAPPENED
After shooting 73 percent from the floor in the first quarter, the Warriors shot 27 percent in the second period, and that poor shooting was made worse by a plethora of fouls and turnovers from the Dubs. Just as the Warriors opened the game with a dominant run, Houston did the same in the second quarter. The Rockets scored the first 13 points of the second quarter, setting the tone for the rest of the period in which the Dubs’ defensive deficiencies returned. The Rockets won the quarter 37-21 behind a flurry of free throws, strong 3-point shooting and high-flying dunks. The third overall pick in this year’s NBA Draft, Jabari Smith Jr. had 12 of his career-high 22 points in the period.
A BATTLE DOWN TO THE WIRE
The Rockets trailed by as many as 18 in the opening quarter and led by as many as nine points in the second period, and the teams would exchange leads five more times in the second half. Kevin Porter Jr. gave Houston a chance to win with a team-high 30 points, but Curry had 25 points in the second half, including 16 points in the third period, and Thompson made a critical 3-pointer in the final seconds of the third quarter to give the Dubs a 97-94 lead. Neither team led by more than seven points in the second half until Curry’s dagger 3-pointer extended the Dubs’ lead to nine points in the final minute of the game.
Golden State Warriors Highlights vs. Houston Rockets
UP NEXT
The Warriors won’t have much time to enjoy the victory, as they head to New Orleans on Monday to complete the back end of a back-to-back against the Pelicans.
MORE NOTABLES
- The Warriors earned their first road win of the season and are now 1-8 away from home, snapping what had been Golden State’s longest road losing streak to start a season since an 0-9 start in 1989-90.
- The Warriors have won seven consecutive games against the Rockets, including four-straight in Houston.
- The Warriors dished out a season-high 38 assists, reaching the 30-assist plateau for the fourth-straight game and the 10th time this season (Warriors 5-5 in those games).
- The Warriors shot a season-high 53.5% from the field and hit a season-high 24 3-pointers, matching a season-high 3-point percentage of 51.1%.
- The Warriors recorded their second 40-point quarter of the season, setting a first quarter season high with 40 points in the opening frame.
- The Warriors improved to 3-0 this season when three players score at least 20 points, with Klay Thompson (41), Stephen Curry (33) and Andrew Wiggins (22) all reaching the mark tonight.
- Klay Thompson scored a season-high 41 points, his 15th career 40-point game, hitting 10-of-13 from 3-point range… It marked the sixth time in his career he’s hit double-digit threes in a game (second-most in NBA history behind only Stephen Curry’s 22)… Thompson scored a season-high 20 points in a quarter in the opening frame, his 11th career 20-point quarter… Thompson is averaging 30.5 points and shooting 56.4% from the field (22-of-39 FG) and 60.9% from 3-point range (14-of-23 3FG) over the last two games.
- Stephen Curry tallied 33 points, 15 assists, six rebounds, three steals and two blocks, recording his sixth career 30-point/15-assist game… It also marked his fourth double-double of the season and second consecutive 20-point/10-assist game… With seven threes (7-of-14 3FG), Curry extended his NBA record streak to 205 consecutive regular season games with at least one 3-point field goal.
- Andrew Wiggins scored 22 points, his ninth 20-point game of the season, hitting a season-high six threes (6-of-11 3FG).