Warriors topple Rockets while whistles won’t stop blowing
Golden State sent Houston to the foul line a season-high 37 times but
prevailed for its fourth straight double-digit win
>SAN FRANCISCO- CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 7: Golden State Warriors’ Stephen
Curry (30) gets past Houston Rockets’ Kenyon Martin Jr. (6) and Houston
Rockets’ Josh Christopher (9) in the first quarter of their NBA
basketball game in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, Nov. 7, 2021. (Doug
Duran/Bay Area News Group)
>SAN FRANCISCO- CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 7: Golden State Warriors’ Stephen
Curry (30) gets past Houston Rockets’ Kenyon Martin Jr. (6) and Houston
Rockets’ Josh Christopher (9) in the first quarter of their NBA
basketball game in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, Nov. 7, 2021. (Doug
Duran/Bay Area News Group)
By EVAN WEBECK | ewebeck@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group
PUBLISHED: November 7, 2021 at 7:53 p.m. | UPDATED: November 7, 2021 at
9:19 p.m.
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2021/11/07/warriors-topple-rockets-while-whistles-wont-stop-blowing/

SAN FRANCISCO — Draymond Green couldn’t help but raise his hands to the
sky and shimmy in celebration. He found his alley oop partner.

In one motion, an airborne Gary Payton II secured Green’s one-armed,
arcing pass and slammed it home as the dagger Golden State had been
seeking all evening to pull away from the one-win Rockets for their
fourth straight blowout victory, 120-107.

“I thought Draymond threw the ball over his head on that one,” coach
Steve Kerr said afterward.

“It did look kind of out of reach,” Payton said.

But, alas, Payton corralled the ball and finished the play.

“I told (Green) I’d never leave him out there, so I just made sure to go
up and put a hand up,” Payton said.

“The guy is so athletic, but he’s got long arms too. He’s got great
timing on those lobs,” added Kerr.

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The latest highlight on the reel of Golden State’s newfound lob threat
gave the Warriors their 11th and 12th points on a 15-0 run at the end of
the third quarter that broke the game open for good.

At 8-1, the Warriors own the best record in the NBA and are the last
team left with a single loss. They’ve won four in a row, all by double
digits.

Houston was able to hang close into the third quarter as the sharp
sounds of officials’ whistles pervaded Chase Center.

By the midway point of the third quarter, the Rockets had already
attempted and made more free throws than any Warriors opponent this
season. They finished with 37 attempts from the foul line but sank them
at only a 67.6% clip (25-37).

“I agreed with the whistles. We deserved them all,” Kerr said. “We were
fouling like crazy.”

Jordan Poole was whistled for five personal fouls, while Green and
Nemanja Bjelica were also called for four each as the Warriors racked up
a season-high 27 whistles.

After emphasizing defending without fouling throughout training camp,
the Warriors had taken to the message so well, they hadn’t discussed it
in weeks, Kerr said.

“We took a step backward in that regard tonight, so we have to clean
that up,” Kerr said.

Poole also made it to the stripe a season-high nine times — and sank
them all — a game after being chastised by Andre Iguodala for his “Klay
stat lines” (full of points but devoid of much else). With 25 points,
the third-year guard led the Warriors in scoring for the third straight
game but also contributed four rebounds and five assists.

Green dished out a season-high nine assists to lead the Warriors while
collecting eight rebounds (his sixth straight game with at least eight
boards). Curry, who came out for extra stretches of rest, finished
second to Poole with 20 points.

Yet again, the Warriors got huge contributions from their bench. Golden
State outscored the Rockets by 27 points in the 19 minutes Payton was on
the floor and by 21 in Bjelica’s 14 minutes.

Otto Porter Jr.’s 15 points were fourth on the team, behind Andrew
Wiggins’ 16. For a moment at the end of the first half, the ninth-year
wing took over the game.

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Porter stepped back for one 3, grabbed a rebound on the other end, raced
back and sank another from distance, then forced a steal and pulled up
for his third triple in a span of 40 seconds, drawing a reaction from
the bench rivaled only by Payton’s emphatic slam.

Porter’s trifecta of triples helped Golden State turn its only deficit
in this one back to a lead by halftime.

The Warriors fell behind as much as 49-45 with 6:29 left in the half,
and Porter entered with 2:29 left and a one-point lead. By the time the
buzzer sounded for intermission, the Warriors had built a 69-61 advantage.

>SAN FRANCISCO- CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 7: Golden State Warriors’ Stephen
Curry (30) gets past Houston Rockets’ Kenyon Martin Jr. (6) and Houston
Rockets’ Josh Christopher (9) in the first quarter of their NBA
basketball game in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, Nov. 7, 2021. (Doug
Duran/Bay Area News Group)

>SAN FRANCISCO- CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 7: Golden State Warriors’ Otto
Porter (32) makes a three-point field goal over Houston Rockets’ Kenyon
Martin Jr. (6) in the second quarter of their NBA basketball game in San
Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, Nov. 7, 2021. (Doug Duran/Bay Area News
Group)

>SAN FRANCISCO- CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 7: Golden State Warriors’ Stephen
Curry (30) is guarded by Houston Rockets’ Jae’Sean Tate (8) in the
second quarter of their NBA basketball game in San Francisco, Calif., on
Sunday, Nov. 7, 2021. (Doug Duran/Bay Area News Group)

>SAN FRANCISCO- CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 7: Golden State Warriors’ Jordan
Poole (3) gets fouled by Houston Rockets’ Daniel Theis (27) in the
second quarter of their NBA basketball game in San Francisco, Calif., on
Sunday, Nov. 7, 2021. (Doug Duran/Bay Area News Group)

>SAN FRANCISCO- CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 7: Golden State Warriors’ Stephen
Curry (30) makes a layup in the first quarter of their NBA basketball
game against the Houston Rockets in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday,
Nov. 7, 2021. (Doug Duran/Bay Area News Group)

>SAN FRANCISCO- CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 7: Golden State Warriors’ Otto
Porter (32) makes a three-point field goal in the second quarter of
their NBA basketball game against the Houston Rockets in San Francisco,
Calif., on Sunday, Nov. 7, 2021. (Doug Duran/Bay Area News Group)

>SAN FRANCISCO- CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 7: Golden State Warriors’ Juan
Toscano-Anderson (95) attempts a basket as Houston Rockets’ David Nwaba
(2) blocks in the second quarter of their NBA basketball game in San
Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, Nov. 7, 2021. (Doug Duran/Bay Area News
Group)

>SAN FRANCISCO- CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 7: Golden State Warriors’ Stephen
Curry (30) tries to get past Houston Rockets’ Daniel Theis (27) in the
first quarter of their NBA basketball game in San Francisco, Calif., on
Sunday, Nov. 7, 2021. (Doug Duran/Bay Area News Group)

>SAN FRANCISCO- CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 7: Golden State Warriors’ Andrew
Wiggins (22) is fouled by Houston Rockets’ Jae’Sean Tate (8) in the
first quarter of their NBA basketball game in San Francisco, Calif., on
Sunday, Nov. 7, 2021. (Doug Duran/Bay Area News Group)

>SAN FRANCISCO- CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 7: Golden State Warriors’ Jordan
Poole (3) takes a shot as Houston Rockets’ Jalen Green (0) tries to
block in the first quarter of their NBA basketball game in San
Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, Nov. 7, 2021. (Doug Duran/Bay Area News
Group)

>SAN FRANCISCO- CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 7: Golden State Warriors head
coach Steve Kerr and Golden State Warriors’ Draymond Green (23) argue
with a referee after both believed Green was fouled in the second
quarter of their NBA basketball game against the Houston Rockets in San
Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, Nov. 7, 2021. (Doug Duran/Bay Area News
Group)

>SAN FRANCISCO- CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 7: Golden State Warriors’ Jordan
Poole (3) gets past Houston Rockets’ Daniel Theis (27) in the second
quarter of their NBA basketball game in San Francisco, Calif., on
Sunday, Nov. 7, 2021. (Doug Duran/Bay Area News Group)

>SAN FRANCISCO- CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 7: Houston Rockets’ Armoni Brooks
(7) is guarded by Golden State Warriors’ Juan Toscano-Anderson (95) and
Golden State Warriors’ Moses Moody (4) in the second quarter of their
NBA basketball game in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, Nov. 7, 2021.
(Doug Duran/Bay Area News Group)