In the final game of the NBA Emirates Cup Quarterfinals, the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets duked it out for a trip to Las Vegas. This time, the Rockets were able to pull away with the win, officially setting up a clash with the Thunder in the semifinals.
The Warriors shot 44.0% from the field in this one and have moved down to 14-10 after this heartbreaking loss. On social media, fans are going crazy over the Warriors’ latest defeat and what it means for their status as contenders.
“Okay so obviously the refs were awful and that was garbage,” wrote one fan. “But those first-half turnovers? The obnoxiously bad offense when Steph is off the floor? Kuminga being a HORRIBLE free throw shooter? Bad decision-making by Steph and Draymond in the final 2 minutes? They have a lot of…”
With Draymond Green, Jonathan Kuminga, and Gary Payton making up the frontcourt, the Warriors defaulted to their ultra-small lineup tonight and it was effective in many ways. The Warriors shot 45.6% as a team while holding the Rockets to 23.1% shooting from three but it was all in vain.
“The Warriors being unwilling to get Steph Curry another guy because of ‘Podz’ and ‘Kuminga’ is so wild watching games like this,” wrote one fan.
There was pretty significant drama with the refs regarding one play in the last minute which ended with a foul on Jonathan Kuminga over a loose ball. Many fans and experts, along with head coach Steve Kerr, say that no foul should have been called there and even went so far as to say the game was stolen from his team.
“That was taken from us by a call that I don’t think an elementary school referee would’ve made,” Steve Kerr said after the game.
Stephen Curry didn’t have the most electric game but he made his presence known with 19 points, 5 assists, and 3 rebounds in 32:25 minutes. This season, if the Warriors can win more games, Curry could be in play for another MVP but there are bigger fish to fry for now and the priority is getting the team right first.
“If Steph Curry had a real #2 option with him the Warriors could be a legit contender,” wrote Swipa.
For the Rockets, Alperen Sengun led the way with 24 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 assists on 9-17 shooting. He was the only Rockets player to score over 15 points, which shows just how much they struggled to hit shots all night. Of course, when it mattered, they made the right plays and it won them the game in the end.
“What a rally by the Rockets,” posted one fan on X. “Huge for their growing confidence. Houston-OKC will be a defensive delight. But only one team has SGA.”
No matter which side you were on, it was an exciting matchup to witness that went down to the bitter end. Thanks to a late-game surge, the Rockets were able to pull away and cement their status as a true Western elite while the Warriors will return home with some major questions about their group.
“The way the Warriors have managed to lose some of these games spanning from last season to now is incredible,” posted X user ‘The WarriorsTalk.’
Everybody knows how tough the West is this year and the margin for error is slimmer than ever. That’s why it’s imperative that the Warriors find solutions to their problems or things could turn ugly really fast.
The good news for Golden State is that they have some time off before returning back to regular-season action. Their next game isn’t until December 19th against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum. Meanwhile, for the Rockets, they’ll move on to face the Thunder in the in-season semifinals in Las Vegas on Friday.
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