HOUSTON (AP) — Fred Vanvleet has scored a total of 55 points in the last two games, bringing the Houston Rockets back from a 3-1 deficit and forcing Game 7 against the Golden State Warriors in the first round of playoff series Sunday night.
Now, the question becomes whether Fred and these cluttered young Rockets can win a third game in a row to ultimately beat playoff foe Stephen Curry and Co., the postseason playoff rival.
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Only 6 of 29 3-pointers in the first three games of the series, while Vanvleet has scored 27 points in the last three games. He scored three points in the playoffs throughout the regular season, leading the Rockets to three times the score.
The 31-year-old played best on Friday night, scoring 29 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, leading Houston to a 115-107 victory, expanding the series again.
Vanvleet helped the Raptors beat the Warriors in 2019 and he was ready to face the challenge of Game 7.
"It's going to take everyone away. It's not really about me," he said. "As someone who has been there, we have enough time to finish it, is it just a question that we can play at a high enough level at the same time? We've been able to do that in the last few games, but we have to stay focused and do it again."
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This will be their 7th game for most Rockets who have entered the playoffs for the first time since 2020. For the Warriors, the situation is different, they have extensive experience in such games.
There are seven Warriors in seven games led by Curry and Draymond Green, each of which is five games. Curry averaged 32.6 points in those games, which was 50 points in Sacramento in 2023.
Curry said that when you get into the knockout stage in the playoffs, things change.
“It’s not only the point on the board, but it’s the feeling, the atmosphere, the morale, the motivation,” he said. “You have to dig deeper to win this kind of game. Thankfully, we have another chance to do it. We’re very confident to do it.”
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The Warriors have been playing their fifth game since 2015 and beaten 3-1 in the first four games. This is their fifth time in the playoffs to play Houston and win every one of the first four games.
One of these series was in Game 7 in Houston, when Curry scored 27 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds in a 101-92 victory in 2018, which brought Golden State to the fourth straight NBA Finals.
Houston still plagued Rockets fans in an epic collapse with 27 consecutive three-pointers in that game, although no player in the current roster is part of the team.
The Golden State Warriors of the Houston Rockets
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When/Where to watch: Game 7, Sunday, 6:30 PM, ET, TNT
Series: 3-3 side by side
BETMGM Sportsbook: Rockets 2.5.
What you know: The Rockets have a chance to be the 14th team in NBA history to overcome the 3-1 deficit of the one-seventh best series. Houston has completed twice, most recently in the 2015 semi-final against the Clippers. The Warriors' comeback was wrong, with LeBron James and Cleveland losing to LeBron James and Cleveland after a 3-1 advantage. …Steven Adams has been a wildcard in the Rockets’ series as coach IME Udoka used his double roster with Alperen Sengun. Adams averaged just 13.7 minutes per game in the regular season and played 31 minutes in Game 6 to help Houston win. He has scored a season-high 17 points in a season-high 17 since 2023 as Golden State coach Steve Kerr adopted a hack-a-shaq strategy that allowed him to foul for a retro. Adams is a career free throw shooter of 53% and was nine out of 16 on Friday night. In this series, he led the Rockets with 21 offensive rebounds and 8 blocks. …Green was frustrated that the Rockets seemed to have the loosest ball in Game 6. He was asked why he thought it was the case. "It could be due to anything," he said. "The reality is that people who want more balls will get it. Now, it seems they want more." ... Kerr is looking for his team to focus on Golden State's 15 turnovers in three losses in the series. "We're in a hurry," he said. "We have to slow down a little."
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