OAKLAND, Calif. — The Houston Rockets didn’t just win Game 6 against the Golden State Warriors on May 2, 2025. They steamrolled. A 115-107 victory at Chase Center knotted the first-round NBA playoff series at 3-3, setting up a do-or-die Game 7 in Houston on Sunday. The Rockets, counted out by many after trailing 3-1, played with a ferocity that left the defending champs scrambling. Here are five hard truths from a night that flipped the script.
First, Fred VanVleet was a one-man wrecking crew. The point guard dropped 29 points, including six three-pointers, while dishing eight assists and grabbing eight rebounds. His pull-up jumpers and fearless drives kept Houston’s offense humming, especially in the third quarter when the Rockets built a lead Golden State couldn’t erase. VanVleet’s stat line wasn’t just impressive—it was the kind of performance that shifts momentum in a series.
Second, Alperen Sengun owned the paint. The young center tallied 21 points, 14 rebounds, and six assists, adding three steals for good measure. His footwork flustered Warriors defenders, and his playmaking from the post opened up Houston’s perimeter game. Sengun’s double-double wasn’t flashy, but it was relentless, a grinder’s effort that wore down Golden State’s frontcourt.
Third, the Rockets’ defense clamped down when it mattered. Golden State’s offense, usually a whirlwind of motion and long-range bombs, sputtered in the fourth quarter. The Warriors missed 14 straight shots over a 6-minute, 37-second stretch, letting Houston’s lead balloon to 17. Houston’s switch-heavy scheme disrupted Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler, who combined for 55 points but couldn’t find rhythm late. The Rockets’ physicality—led by Dillon Brooks and Amen Thompson—turned Chase Center into a house of frustration.
Fourth, Houston stuck to its identity. Even on the road, facing a hostile crowd and a Warriors team desperate to close the series, the Rockets played their brand of basketball. They attacked the rim, crashed the boards, and fired from deep, hitting 14 of 35 three-pointers. Their 86-84 lead entering the fourth quarter, as reported by the NBA, was no fluke—it was the result of a game plan executed with grit and precision.
Fifth, Game 7 is now Houston’s to lose. The Rockets head back to Toyota Center, where they’ll host the Warriors on May 4, 2025, at 8:30 p.m. ET on TNT. Golden State, once up 3-1, faces the pressure of an elimination game on enemy turf. Houston’s Game 6 win as 5.5-point underdogs, with the game sailing over the 208.5-point betting total, proves they thrive as hunters. The Warriors, meanwhile, must regroup after a fourth-quarter collapse that exposed cracks in their armor.
The series, tied at 3-3, hinges on Sunday’s clash. Houston’s starters—VanVleet, Sengun, Brooks, Thompson, and Jalen Green—played 38-plus minutes each in Game 6. Golden State’s Curry and Butler logged heavy minutes too, with 39 and 41, respectively. Both teams are battered but unbowed. Game 7 awaits.