Jonathan Kuminga scored a career-high 33 points, and Andrew Wiggins added 23 as the Golden State Warriors defeated the Houston Rockets 99-93, extending their winning streak against Houston to 15 games in San Francisco.
With Stephen Curry resting due to sore knees and Draymond Green dealing with a calf injury, the Warriors used a 21-4 run between the second and third quarters to take control and break a five-game losing streak.
The Rockets, trying to beat the Warriors for the first time since February 2020, got 16 points from Alperen Sengun and 15 points from Dillon Brooks in a balanced effort but lost their second straight game.
Houston led for the first 21 minutes of a low-scoring first half, holding a 42-40 advantage before Moses Moody hit a 3-pointer and Wiggins turned a 27-foot shot into a four-point play. This sparked a 9-1 run that gave the Warriors a 49-43 lead at halftime.
Golden State carried their momentum into the second half, with Wiggins and Kuminga hitting 3-pointers in a 12-3 run that stretched their lead to 61-46.
The Rockets made a push and closed the gap to four points twice in the final 1:36, and got as close as 96-93 with Sengun’s layup with 32.6 seconds left.
However, Kuminga answered each time, scoring inside, hitting one of two free throws, and then driving for a layup with 16.9 seconds left to seal the win for the Warriors.
Despite shooting just 41.9 percent from the field, the Warriors won, while the Rockets shot 37.6 percent.
Kuminga’s 33 points were two more than his previous career-high, set in January against the Sacramento Kings. Brandin Podziemski grabbed 12 rebounds and scored 8 points, while Kevon Looney had 11 rebounds for the Warriors.
Sengun and Amen Thompson grabbed 8 rebounds each for the Rockets, while Thompson and Fred VanVleet recorded 5 assists each. Jalen Green and Thompson each scored 14 points, and VanVleet added 13.
