Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) drives on the Houston Rockets Aaron Holiday (left) in the first half at the Toyota Center in Houston on Thu Apr 4, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors were in Houston to play the Houston Rockets on Thursday night. The Rockets trailed the Warriors for the tenth seed in the NBA’s Western Conference by three games. The Warriors were looking to win their sixth in a row. Star forward Jonathan Kuminga did not play due to tendinitis in his knee. The Warriors will have Jonathan back Friday night when the Dubs meet the Dallas Mavericks. 

The Warriors, riding high on their five-game winning streak, were determined to maintain their momentum. They started the game with a commanding 13-4 lead, setting the tone for the rest of the match. The Rockets never had a chance to take the lead as the Warriors dominated the game from start to finish, securing a wire-to-wire victory with a final score of 133-110.

The Warriors’ Klay Thompson was a force to be reckoned with, leading the offense with 21 points in the first half. His five three-pointers were instrumental in the team’s 65-50 halftime lead. The Warriors’ impressive shooting performance, with a 61% field goal percentage and 11 three-pointers, helped them secure a comfortable lead. They won the first and second quarters with scores of 33-24 and 32-26, respectively. 

The Warriors did not relinquish the momentum in the third quarter. Trayce Jackson-Davis, in the starting lineup, played well, and Trayce made key baskets in the third quarter. Steph continued his excellence. Moses Moody and Brandin Podziemski helped out on offense. The Warriors finished the third quarter with the lead 99-83.

The Warriors’ defense always kept the Rockets from coming close to taking the lead. The defense has come to life in the last six games. It held the opponents to under 100 points in the five-game winning streak. The Rockets did a little better, putting 110 points on the board Thursday night. The Warrior offense scored over 30 points each quarter to win, going away 133-110.

Game Notes: The Warriors are now 42-34 with the win. There are six games left on the schedule. If the season were to end today, The Warriors would be in the play-in tournament and have to win two games to be in the eight-team Western Conference playoffs. The Rockets are 38-38 and are virtually eliminated from making the play-in tournament. Should the Rockets tie the Warriors at the end of the season, the Warriors would go forward, as they own the tiebreaker. The Warriors won the season series 4-0 over the Rockets and have won 13 in a row over Houston,

Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry each scored 29 points to pace the Dubs’ win. Thompson made seven threes. Curry had six rebounds, six assists, and two threes. Trayce Jackson-Davis had his first 20-point game. Trayce had five rebounds and four assists. Andrew Wiggins added ten. The Rockets had four players in double figures. Jabari Smith had 24, Cam Whitmore, coming off the bench, 17, Jalen Green 13, and Fred VanVleet 10.

The Warriors are in Dallas on Friday night. The Warriors beat the Mavs 103-100 last Monday. The Mavs’ Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving will be ready to face the Warriors. The game will start at 5:30 pm.