The Houston Rockets evened their first-round series at 3-3 with a 115-107 win over the Golden State Warriors on Friday night. The Rockets led by as many as 17 in Game 6.
Houston’s Fred VanVleet had 29 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists, while Alperen Sengun added 21 points and 14 rebounds. The Rockets also outscored Golden State 29-23 in the final frame.
VanVleet shot 7-for-13 from the floor after consecutive games going 8-for-13, and he converted all nine of his free throws — he’s a perfect 22 of 22 at the line over the series.
Golden State now heads to Houston to face the Rockets in Game 7 on Sunday night.
Warriors Blew A 3-1 Series Lead
Stephen Curry and Draymond Green are 3-2 in career Game 7s. Their last appearance came in 2023 when Golden State won 120-100 at Sacramento in a first-round series. Curry scored 50 points in that victory.
Per ESPN Stats & Information, Curry has averaged 32.6 points in Game 7s in his career, fourth most by any player in NBA history. Curry trails only Kevin Durant, LeBron James, and Michael Jordan.
Golden State held a 3-1 series lead after Monday’s impressive 109-106 victory in Game 4, but Houston’s zone defense has kept the team alive whether playing at home or on the road in the past two games.
Game 7 is SET in Houston ✔️
Breaking out the City threads back at our place on Sunday!
Let’s close out Round 1 👏 pic.twitter.com/hDOx09BL9g
— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) May 3, 2025
“So we’re going to win together, we’re going to lose together,” said Warriors star Jimmy Butler, who’s played in four Game 7s and is 2-2. “I know we’re definitely going to win together come Sunday. We’re good. We’re smiling. And we’re listening to our music, celebrating life.
“We’re ready to compete. We were ready to compete tonight. Things didn’t go our way. OK, we’re going to be ready to compete on Sunday. We’re going to make the game go our way.”
Warriors coach Steve Kerr is 3-1 all time in Game 7s as a head coach as well.
Rockets Set To Play In First Game 7 Since 2020
Meanwhile, Houston’s Aaron Holiday, Fred VanVleet, Jeff Green, and Steven Adams have played in a combined 10 Game 7s. Rockets coach Ime Udoka also improved to 5-1 when facing elimination.
“It was a mantra going into the series: Play through everything,” Udoka said ahead of Game 7. “It’s going to be a physical game. Don’t ask for anything. We want to be physical. So if the refs allow it or that’s how the style of game is played, that favors us more often than not.”
This will be Houston’s first Game 7 since 2020 and its first true home seventh game since 2018. The Rockets defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 7 of their 2020 first-round series, but that elimination game was played in the Orlando bubble during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Rockets will have to pull out all the stops to defeat the battle-tested Warriors on Sunday. Although Golden State won 95-85 in Houston in Game 1, NBA betting sites currently show the Rockets as 3-point favorites.
