Rockets Win Thriller Over Warriors to Ruin Stephen Curry's Return

The Houston Rockets traveled out west and faced the Golden State Warriors on Sunday Night Basketball in a critical late season matchup. The Rockets survived an incredible game and came out with a 117-116 win that turned into a nail-biter in the end.

Houston extended its win streak to six games and improved to 49-29. Kevin Durant was the leading scorer for the Rockets with 31 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and three blocks. This was the return of Stephen Curry after 27 games for the Warriors, and it nearly brought the Rockets' demise. Curry was as good as ever and put up another signature performance against Houston.

Curry ended up with 29 points and five 3-pointers off the bench to lead GSW. However, his late 3-point attempt was short for Houston to squeak by on the road. For the Rockets, three players scored over 20 while four starters were in double digits including Durant. Alperen Sengun scored 24 points on 10/19 shooting and had the eventual game-winner.

Jabari Smith Jr. had an excellent game with 23 points and nine rebounds on 9/12 shooting. He was on fire from beyond the arc and made five 3-pointers on seven attempts. The Rockets shot 55% from the field and 45% from three overall. Houston still struggled with 13 turnovers.

Game Recap

Apr 5, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) drives to the hoop next to Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) in the second quarter at the Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images | Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

It was 116-115 Warriors with 16.1 seconds left. The Rockets inbounded and Sengun navigated through the traffic on a pass from Durant and got the game-winning floater to go with 11 seconds to go. Curry missed on a 30-foot heave and the Rockets somehow escaped.

Golden State got out to 7-0 lead, but the Rockets cut it down to 7-6. Gui Santos hit back-to-back threes and it was a 13-6 GSW lead that forced a Rockets timeout.

Seth Curry made a three. Rockets pulled close to within three at 20-17. Sengun went to work in the paint and the Rockets cut it down to one point at 25-24. The Warriors were up 31-26 at the end of one.

It was a 13-0 run for the Rockets and they went up 37-31. Sengun and Aaron Holiday each made a 3-pointer. Smith Jr. drilled a couple of threes as well. The Warriors responded with a 9-0 run and took a 43-40 lead.

Amen Thompson and Durant ended the first half well, but the Rockets were just up 55-53 at halftime. Three starters were in double digits for the Rockets with Sengun as the leading scorer with 13 points, while Durant had 12 and Smith had 11.

The Rockets shot 54% percent from the field and 40 percent (6/15) from downtown. Houston got out to a hot start in the third quarter with Durant while Smith Jr. continued to stay active with a pull-up jump shot and 3-pointer. The Rockets took a 12-point lead before increasing it to 15 after triples from Holiday and Durant.

It was 82-67 Rockets with 5:18 left in the third, however the Warriors would just not go away. It was a 13-2 run by GSW that cut the lead to four. Houston responded nicely to end the third with Thompson.

The Rockets went up 92-82 heading into the fourth. Durant put up 16 points in the third quarter.

Smith Jr. continued his hot night with another tough mid-range jumper. Sengun drew a foul and got Kristaps Porzingis out of the game with his sixth foul. Smith also put a spin move in the post and threw down a slam.

Sheppard came through with a massive 3-pointer and made an impressive shot high off the glass as well. The Rockets went up 14 at 106-92 with under nine minutes to go.

Right when Curry came on the floor, the Warriors went on 7-0 run in under a minute. It was tight the rest of the way. Curry continued to cause havoc for the Rockets from beyond the arc.

Durant nailed a big three when it was 109-107 that got the lead up to five again. Curry made it a one point game, but Sengun hit a clutch floater plus a foul to go up 115-111 with 1:09 left.

Curry made a triple from way out in between two Rockets and it was a one point game again. Durant missed on the other end, and Gary Payton II got the go-ahead layup to go after a Warriors timeout.

Up next, the Rockets will take on the Phoenix Suns on the road on Tuesday.