Fred VanVleet scored 14 of his game-high 26 points in a runaway first quarter, and Amen Thompson produced 25 points as the Houston Rockets surged to a 131-116 victory over the visiting Golden State Warriors in Game 5 of this Western Conference first-round series Wednesday.
Houston seized control with a 15-0 run en route to a 40-point opening period. VanVleet made 4 of 5 shot attempts, including 3 of 4 3-pointers, to pace the breakout frame for the Rockets, who finished 13 of 13 from the free-throw line and constructed an 18-point lead during the onslaught.
The Warriors lead the best-of-seven series 3-2 with Game 6 set for Friday in San Francisco.
Thompson shot 8 of 12 and added six rebounds, five steals and three blocks to his ledger while Dillon Brooks tallied 24 points. Alperen Sengun flirted with a triple-double and posted 15 points, nine rebounds and nine assists before fouling out. Houston led by 31 points in the third quarter.
Behind a spirited bench unit, the Warriors sliced the deficit to 13 points in the fourth quarter, forcing the Rockets to reinsert their starters midway through the period to reclaim control.
Moses Moody paired 25 points with nine rebounds off the Golden State bench. Stephen Curry was the lone starter to reach double figures for the Warriors with 13 points on 4-of-12 shooting.
VanVleet drilled a corner 3-pointer with 7:13 left in the first, lifting the Rockets to a 20-8 lead and capping the 15-0 run that answered a Draymond Green 3. Houston extended to a 31-13 lead when VanVleet nailed a 3 in transition following an errant 3-pointer from Jimmy Butler.
The Rockets scored six fastbreak points in the opening period and kept up the pace in the second, expanding their lead to 54-24 before Curry ignited a brief rally that pulled the Warriors to within 61-41 after a Butler three-point play with 2:57 remaining in the first half.
But Thompson helped the Rockets close the half with a flourish with his steal, transition dunk and subsequent free throw following a Butler foul. The Rockets led 76-49 at the intermission.
