Coming off an upset loss from the short-handed Indiana Pacers in overtime at home on Thursday, the young Houston Rockets gave the Golden State Warriors everything they could handle on Friday night.
However, the ending was different on the second leg of Golden State’s back-to-back.
After a rough start against a gritty performance from the Rockets, the Warriors clawed back into the contest behind Steph Curry, Jordan Poole, Kevon Looney and Otto Porter Jr.
Following an 11 point deficit at halftime, the Warriors outscored the Rockets 33-22 in the third quarter to tie the ballgame before the final 12 minutes.
After trading shots back and forth in the final frame, the Warriors held the ball with the game tied at 103 and 5.1 seconds remaining on the clock. Curry saved the day, drilling a deep two-point jumper as time expired to win the game for the Warriors, 105-103.
The buzzer-beating game-winner caused an eruption from the frenzied crowd at Chase Center as Curry and his teammates celebrated a much-needed victory at home.
Curry finished the contest with a game-high 22 points on 6-of-21 shooting from the floor with four triples, 12 assists, four boards, a steal and block in 39 minutes. The two-time Most Valuable Player started the game shooting 0-for-5 from the field in the first quarter. Curry’s jumper on Friday night was his first game-winner at the buzzer in his career, per ESPN Stats and Info.
Via @ESPNStatsInfo on Twitter:
That was Stephen Curry's first career game-winning buzzer-beater
Curry's game-winning buzzer-beater is the first by a Warriors player since Andre Iguodala on Jan. 3, 2014 against the Hawks (which was assisted by Curry). pic.twitter.com/xKZ6PyhBAi
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) January 22, 2022
After Curry’s late heroics against the Rockets, the NBA community on Twitter exploded with a wave of reactions. Here’s a look at what fans and analysts were saying about Curry and the Warriors on Friday night.
The post originally appeared on Warriors Wire. Follow Warriors Wire on Facebook and Twitter.