After nearly blowing a 3-1 series lead, the Golden State Warriors got the job done Sunday night in Texas, besting the Houston Rockets 103-89 in Game 7 to secure the first-round playoff series win.
Golden State held the lead for most of the game, thanks in large part to Buddy Hield’s 33 points, three assists and three rebounds. The Rockets put on the pressure at points, as they have the entire series, but ultimately fell short against the Warriors yet again.
Golden State will play the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference semifinals.
The Cleveland Cavaliers swept their way to the Eastern Conference semifinals, but you wouldn’t have known it Sunday night in Ohio, when the Indiana Pacers won Game 1 of the teams’ second-round series 121-112.
The Pacers dominated the first half, ending the second quarter ahead 64-58. The Cavaliers turned it on in the second half to keep the game close. With 33 points, Donovan Mitchell notched his eighth straight playoff series opener with at least 30 points, surpassing Michael Jordan for the NBA record. But it wasn’t enough to overcome the Pacers, who were led by Andrew Nembhard’s 23 points and six assists.
Golden State 103, Houston 89
(Warriors win series 4-3)
Warriors beat Rockets yet again
In the Steph Curry playoff era, now stretching well past a decade, the Warriors have met the Rockets in the playoffs five times. They’ve now beaten them in all five series.
They broke the heart of the James Harden version in 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2019. Now, after a full Houston rebuild, the Warriors — still led by the older Curry and Draymond Green — repeated the same act against these younger second-seeded Rockets, winning Game 7 on the road. It’s the third time Curry and Green have closed out Houston in Houston.
Hield played the role of Klay Thompson in this one. He made 12 of his 15 shots, including eight 3s, scoring a game-high 33 points in 37 minutes. Green added 16 in his best scoring game of the series. Jimmy Butler, the premium trade deadline addition, helped the Warriors close. After a quiet first half, Curry, seeing a swarming Houston defense all series, broke free for 17 points in the second half.
This was an impressive series win for a Warriors team that labored much of the regular season and had to squeak into the playoffs through the Play-In bracket. But it also took a ton out of them. They will fly straight from Houston to Minnesota on Monday afternoon and have very little time to rest or prep for a Timberwolves team that has been resting for nearly a week. — Anthony Slater, senior writer
Rockets need 3-pointer help
For a Rockets team that has struggled in the halfcourt all season, from a shot creation and schematics standpoint, it’s understandable why opposing teams would utilize a zone defense against them. For the majority of this series, Warriors coach Steve Kerr threw different looks at Houston, forcing the Rockets to adapt on the fly — to a mixed degree of success.
In Game 7, however, Houston’s issues reached a boiling point, particularly in the first half. No matter where the ball went, the Rockets seemed unable to get a shot off against Golden State’s 1-3-1 zone, all while allowing Hield to go scorched Earth from the perimeter. Where the Rockets found success by leaning on their size and physicality in Games 5 and 6, the negative tradeoffs — spacing and movement — came back to hurt them. Houston took just 18 3s in Game 7, converting six. That’s far from the necessary production in a win-or-stay home game.
Houston’s bold attempt to complete the 3-1 comeback ultimately fell short on its home turf. As they turn their attention to the offseason, it’s clear that the Rockets, for all their success this season, are an unfinished product. There should be a substantial focus during the offseason on improving around the margins, particularly in their 3-point shooting. Whether or not Houston’s front office believes it’s time to cash in on a superstar is unknown at this point, but unless the Rockets become a much better floor spacing unit, their aggressive defense and abundance of athleticism will only carry them so far. — Kelly Iko, staff writer
What’s next for Houston
The Rockets have nothing to be ashamed of here.
It has only been four seasons since the Harden era came to such a messy ending, with their franchise centerpiece pushing his way out en route to Brooklyn and leaving the fan base feeling quite frustrated in the process. Little did the locals know how well it would work out.
Houston now enters this summer with a wonderful dilemma on its hands, as all those picks and talented young players they have, in large part because of that trade, now afford the Rockets the luxury of picking a path here. They could take the patient route, letting this core of Alperen Şengün (22 years old), Jalen Green (23), Amen Thompson (22) and friends continue to grow together. There’s merit in that approach, especially given the defensive identity that this roster and coach Ime Udoka have forged with this group.
Yet because the Rockets’ cupboard of assets is so full, there will inevitably be a robust internal discussion about whether or not they should chase a more established star player who can accelerate their timeline.
Green, specifically, is the one who has been auditioning for his long-term role with this club for quite some time now. And because he struggled so mightily in this series, averaging just 13.2 points (93) points on 37.2 percent shooting overall and 29.5 percent from three, the case for doing a deal in which a more proven player fills that spot has grown undeniably stronger. Green had just six points in the series finale on 2-of-7 shooting overall and was 0-of-2 from three. What’s more, there are a number of such talents who might be available this summer, from Phoenix’s Kevin Durant to New Orleans’ Zion Williamson to Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo.
One way or another, the Rockets are well-positioned to be a force in the West for years. — Sam Amick, senior writer
What to expect against Minnesota
The Minnesota Timberwolves played it coy this weekend when asked who they wanted in the second round, Golden State or Houston. Their fans? There is no question they are getting who they wanted.
The Wolves-Warriors series is teeming with storylines and bad blood. It starts with the return of Butler, who orchestrated a messy divorce with the Wolves in 2018. The fan base still holds a grudge against the way Butler handled himself on the way out and how he acted toward Karl-Anthony Towns.
Then there is Draymond Green, one of the few players in the league Wolves fans may dislike as much as Butler. Green has constantly taken public shots at the Wolves, particularly Towns and Rudy Gobert, in his various podcasting and broadcasting gigs. It got so bad in the Western Conference finals last season that the Wolves boycotted the TNT set after their lone victory in Game 4 because of Green’s presence on the panel.
Of course, there is also the long-ago history with Curry, when the Wolves passed on him twice in the 2009 draft, a move that has haunted the franchise since.
When Game 1 tips off Tuesday night, Target Center will be full-throated in its support of the home team and its disdain for Butler and Green. — Jon Krawczynski, senior writer
Indiana 121, Cleveland 112
(Pacers lead series 1-0)
Nembhard, Nesmith are playoff risers
The Pacers and Cavs got off to a start as fast as the Indy 500. Indiana made a strong opening statement defensively, which resulted in a poor shooting performance from Cleveland in the first half. The Pacers were 9-of-15 (60 percent) from 3 and 24-of-40 (60 percent) from the field in the first half, seemingly scoring with ease. It was one of their best shooting halves of the season.
Indiana built a 12-point lead but couldn’t maintain it. The Cavs’ abysmal shooting was unlikely to last in the second half, but the Pacers aren’t the kind of team to just go away. Cleveland started the fourth quarter with four starters on the bench, and Indiana was able to turn it up again. The Pacers shot 10 for 22 in the final period.
Aaron Nesmith was in playoff mode, getting the job done on both ends of the floor. He blocked a Mitchell 3, then made one of his own. Nesmith also forced an eight-second violation on the Cavs’ Ty Jerome in the third quarter. Though he got into foul trouble, his impact can’t be overstated. Nesmith finished with 17 points and eight rebounds.
Playoff Nembhard was also activated in Game 1. During the regular season, Nembhard shot 29 percent from 3, but in the postseason, he has recaptured his shooting form. He averaged 15.0 points, 4.8 assists and 3.4 rebounds in five games against the Milwaukee Bucks, but Sunday night, he scored 23 points and added six assists. — Shakeia Taylor, staff writer
Cleveland is missing Garland
At least three times in the first quarter, two Cavaliers players collided with each other when one of them had the ball.
The Pacers took — and made — too many open 3s. They also looked like the better defensive team. They were in Cleveland’s face on the perimeter, forcing an eight-second call and I couldn’t count how many bad shots.
The point is the Cavs didn’t look ready for Game 1. They seemed surprised by Indiana’s speed, even though they’d been talking about it for days. It was as though they knew what was coming, but they couldn’t simulate it in practice.
I’m looking for a way to say Cleveland lost — didn’t look so good — and explain why without just pinning it on Darius Garland’s absence. But maybe that’s it. Maybe, in a series with two dominant guards on one side, the Cavs needed Garland’s scoring and playmaking to win a track meet, rather than going with the defense-first option when he was out for the final two games of the Miami Heat series.
I have seen Garland practice, twice, and it looked like he was moving well both times, but he obviously is hurting and has now missed three consecutive playoff games. Perhaps one consideration is the speed at which Indiana plays; maybe it’s not so good if Garland is out there trying to keep up on a bad foot.
Mitchell set an NBA record for consecutive games to open a playoff series scoring at least 30 points. Then again, he was 1-of-11 on 3s. The Cavs were 9-of-38 from deep and were outscored by 30 points from 3-point range.
Poor shooting, a step slow on either side and no Garland. That’s a recipe for the first bad night of the playoffs for the East’s top team. — Joe Vardon, senior writer
(Top photo of Buddy Hield: Troy Taormina / Imagn Images)
