SAN FRANCISCO – Facing a Houston lineup stocked with skyscraping centers and wings with enough athleticism to touch the clouds, Golden State’s flowing offense and free-wheeling sets were ground-bound in Sunday night’s 106-96 loss in Chase Center that featured Draymond Green earning both a technical and flagrant foul.
After scoring 125 points over his last three games, Steph Curry made just one of his 10 field goal attempts and scored only three points. Brandin Podziemski put in 19 points, and Buddy Hield and Gary Payton combined to score 36 off the bench.
Golden State’s five-game winning streak was snapped, but Curry and the other Warriors did not appear too hung up on the result.
“Tonight was a rough night, all the way around,” Curry said. “They played great, and we had some moments, but we have to maintain the confidenc that we’re building towards our best selves come playoff time.”
Houston entered the game leading the league in rebounding (48.8 rebounds per night), and that size disadvantage was obvious.
Golden State was outscored 56-40 in the paint by a Rockets front line that featured 6-foot-9 tank Alperen Sengun (19 points) and the freakishly athletic duo of Jalen Green and San Leandro native Amen Thompson in the backcourt. The Warriors also had 20 turnovers.
The Warriors (46-32) dropped into a four-way tie with No. 6 Minnesota (46-32), No. 7 LA Clippers and No. 8 Memphis (46-32).
Following a second quarter that saw Draymond Green earn his 13th technical foul after a shoving and jawing match with Sengun, Golden State had an equally-rough start of the third where Green was called for a flagrant foul on the same Rockets big man.
Golden State, which trailed just 51-50 at halftime, kept things close with the younger and more athletic Rockets for a while, with Hield’s shooting and keeping the Warriors within striking distance.
“Shout out to Houston, and they played us really tough tonight,” Hield said. “We’d got a really good stretch going on, but we didn’t execute the way we wanted to tonight … but you know, the ship hasn’t sunk.”
Podziemski took a defensive rebound coast-to-coast to cut the deficit to 83-81 with nine minutes left, but Jabari Smith immediately answered with an uncontested jam after getting a pass in the dunker’s spot. Houston pulled away from there.
After Green was hit with his second quarter technical foul, Jalen Green missed the free throw, which seemed to delight Draymond Green. The Warriors forward was less enthused when he was called for a foul 40 feet from the basket with 0.6 left in the half on a VanVleet halfcourt shot.
Rockets coach Ime Udoka walked through the Warriors as they left the court, prompting Curry to share a few words with him.
That animosity did not dissipate during the 15-minute intermission.
With 9:57 left in the third quarter, Green was called for a flagrant foul after he hit Sengun in the face with an elbow. Coach Steve Kerr subbed Green out of the game following the incident.
Golden State plays at Phoenix on Tuesday.
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