SAN FRANCISCO — Down 86-84 at home, the Golden State Warriors entered the fourth quarter optimistic about a rally that would never unfold Friday night in Game 6 of their opening-round series with the Houston Rockets.
Just six seconds into the final frame, veteran Fred VanVleet snuffed out Golden State’s hopes of ending the series at Chase Center.
“We started off the fourth quarter with a two-point game and we gave up a four-point play,” Warriors forward Draymond Green said after the Rockets forced a Game 7 with a 115-107 win. “It’s just like, you lose the life, you know?”
Or VanVleet simply took it.
With Gary Payton II sprinting desperately to the left wing to guard him on the play, VanVleet calmly stepped into a successful 25-footer just as the Warriors’ defender made contact, and officials whistled him for a foul. VanVleet hit the subsequent free throw, and Jalen Green put Houston on the board again with a tip-in.
Not even a minute into the quarter, Houston had embarked on a 6-0 run sparked by VanVleet, who has connected on 18 3-pointers over his past three outings, the most in a three-game span in Rockets postseason history. VanVleet, who tied a game high with 29 points to go with eight assists, has put together three consecutive games with 25 points or more for the first time in his postseason career, taking full advantage of a Golden State defense that has focused largely on shutting down his backcourt mate Green.
“Now, as I get a little older, [I’ve been] able to play in enough of these games to realize that a calm, steady mind is the best path forward,” VanVleet said. “Not getting too high or too low, not getting too carried away, trusting the work, your teammates and things usually work out in the big picture.”
Green reeled off a 38-point performance in leading a Game 2 Houston victory, but Golden State has kept him bottled up for much of this series by constantly blitzing and trapping the 23-year-old to force the ball out of his hands. That has led to fewer shots for Green and less scoring. He has put together three single-digit scoring nights in three losses this series to go with 11- and 12-point showings in Games 5 and 6.
Still, as VanVleet dressed at his locker after Game 6, Green walked over to laud the veteran for his contributions as Jabari Smith Jr., Tari Eason and Dillon Brooks looked on in agreement. Houston is now in position to come back from a 3-1 series deficit for the third time in franchise history.
“He’s amazing,” center Alperen Sengun said. “We’ve been saying that for two years now. He’s leading us on the court, off the court.”
The question now is whether the Warriors will devise a defensive game plan to minimize VanVleet’s impact in Sunday’s Game 7 after spending so much time this series focused on stopping Green.
“We talked about that,” Rockets coach Ime Udoka said. “We like them on the court together for that reason. Guys are really setting screens, our pace has been better, and they get a lot more freedom, wearing them down a little bit. They do what they do. They have switched lineups quite a bit so far. At times, it feels like they are going for defensive lineups, and then offensive. You can only have a little bit of both. Fred’s been aggressive picking on that, and if they do adjust with Jalen, he’ll have some freedom as well.”
It didn’t help that Golden State missed 14 of its first 15 shots to start the fourth quarter. VanVleet dropped 19 points in the second half, and over the past three games he has connected on 66.7% from 3-point range, taking an average of six attempts from deep in those contests.
“He’s getting what he wants to get to,” Draymond Green said. “Somehow, you’ve got to break that up. He’s too comfortable.”
VanVleet certainly looked it in the aftermath of Houston’s second consecutive win.
“You work all year and train all summer for these moments, and I’ve always prided myself on trying to rise to the occasion,” he said. “I’ve taken a different role for this team over the last two years and just trying to squeeze as much juice out of this group as possible. I’m ready and willing when the time comes to step up and make big plays.”