SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — With his team trailing by 27 points to the red-hot Houston Rockets at halftime, coach Steve Kerr pulled Golden State emotional leader Draymond Green aside for a quick chat and to ask his opinion.
Should the Warriors plan to save their starters for what looked like an inevitable Game 6 in two days if things became any more out of hand after intermission? Green suggested Kerr should give the group five more minutes to see what could be done on the deficit.
It only got worse. And Kerr sent in the backups with 5:50 left in the third quarter of an embarrassing 131-116 loss Wednesday night so his Warriors can turn their attention at trying again to close out the first-round series back home Friday night.
“I wasn’t going to chase this game obviously with Game 6 coming up in 48 hours," Kerr said. "So I talked to Draymond. I said, ‘What do you think?’ He said five minutes, so we gave the starting group the first five or six minutes and unless we had made a huge run kind of had it in mind that we would pull the plug.”
The Warriors missed a chance to clinch the best-of-seven series on the road, and they gave some momentum right back to the Rockets. Golden State leads 3-2.
Jimmy Butler, Stephen Curry and Green will need to forget their Game 5 blowout fast and now count on their experience in big games as they return to Chase Center to get past second-seeded Houston, which staved off elimination with a dominant performance.
“We're fine. Our confidence isn't going to waiver,” Butler said. “We're going to start out better and play a better overall game.”
The Minnesota Timberwolves are waiting for the winner to begin the Western Conference semifinals. While the Warriors couldn’t close their series on the road with a 3-1 lead, Rudy Gobert led the way as Minneapolis ended the season for LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers 103-96.
And given the blowout, the Golden State starters should be plenty fresh — Rockets coach Ime Udoka re-inserted his core group with the lead dwindling. Curry played 23 minutes, Butler 25 and Green nearly 18. Fred VanVleet scored 26 points on 8-for-13 shooting with four 3-pointers playing 33 minutes to lead Houston as all five starters reached double figures.
The Rockets jumped to a big lead from the opening tip for a runaway win. Their 131 points were their most ever in a playoff game against Golden State.
Houston had averaged 98 points per game through the first four of the series, then went off in the win that included an early 18-0 run and a 31-point lead in the second half before the Warriors' second unit chipped away.
“Loved our bench group, they came in and they forced Houston to bring their starters back in. They set a tone that we're going to need for Game 6,” Kerr said. “Even though we lost the game I thought it was crucial that we fought the way we did in the fourth quarter.”
The past two games became testy, with Golden State's reserves getting involved during Game 5 when Pat Spencer got ejected for head-butting Alperen Sengun before Trace Jackson-Davis shoved the Rockets big man.
It was Curry, Green and Dillon Brooks in Game 4, yet Brooks believes Houston's youngsters are learning with each experience on the big NBA stage.
“They’re sticking to the details of the playoffs,” Brooks said. “Every possession matters, every loose ball, rebound, shot we take, it matters. And there’s nothing to get worked up or get tight about. It’s just understanding that you can’t turn the ball over and you need possessions, we need good possessions. And I feel like the young guys are learning how to leave their imprint on the game.”
Houston Rockets at Golden State Warriors
When/Where to Watch: Game 6, Friday, 9 p.m. EDT (ESPN)
Series: Warriors lead 3-2.
BetMGM Sportsbook: Warriors by 4.5.
What to Know: Foul trouble and free-throw differential have been common themes in this series, with Golden State the culprit in Game 5. The Warriors had 27 fouls and the Rockets converted 32 of 38 free throws — 8 of 8 by Brooks, 6 of 6 by VanVleet, and 8 of 9 for Amen Thompson. The Rockets also played a clean game with just 12 turnovers while Kerr has stressed taking care of the ball so many time this season and the Warriors committed 15 turnovers for 20 Houston points. And Golden State's defense will have to do something different against VanVleet, who along with his fellow starters had to return to the game when the Warriors reserves made a run and finished with a playoff franchise-record 76 bench points. Kerr chose to keep his veteran stars of Butler, Curry and Green on the bench to end the game and get them ready for Friday.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA
Janie Mccauley, The Associated Press
