ROCKETS DEFEAT WARRIORS

Houston Rockets snap Warriors’ streak with statement win

Houston Rockets snap Warriors’ streak with statement win
The Rockets beat the Warriors, 106-96. Photo by Eakin Howard/Getty Images.

Alperen Sengun had 19 points and 14 rebounds, Dillon Brooks scored 24 points and the Houston Rockets snapped the Golden State Warriors' five-game winning streak with a 106-96 victory Sunday night in a matchup of Western Conference powers.

Stephen Curry was held to three points on 1-for-10 shooting — missing seven of eight 3-pointers — for his lowest total this season in a game he was healthy. Curry scored two points Dec. 19 at Memphis, but suffered a pelvic contusion in a hard fall.

Jalen Green scored 21 points and Jabari Smith Jr. tested his right ankle sprain before the game and came off the bench to score 16 points for Houston, currently ranked second in the West standings with three games to go.

Buddy Hield had 20 points and Brandin Podziemski 19 points to lead the Warriors.

Takeaways

Rockets: Snapped a seven-game losing streak on the Warriors' home floor dating to a 135-105 win on Feb. 20, 2020. ... Houston has three straight games in California before returning home to host Denver in Sunday's regular-season finale.

Warriors: Curry (25,281) passed Reggie Miller (25,279) for 24th place on the NBA's career scoring list. ... The Warriors had won 10 of 11 at home.

Key moment

With 9:57 left in the third quarter, officials reviewed and determined that Draymond Green's forceful driving layup into Sengun qualified as a Flagrant 1 foul when the 6-foot-11 Sengun's neck jerked backward — specifying that the contact with the head played a factor in the ruling. It was Green's fifth personal.

Key stat

Curry didn't score until his 37-foot 3-pointer 2 seconds before halftime on his third shot of the night facing constant pressure — but he dished out seven of his eight assists before the break.

Up next

The Rockets play at the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night, while Golden State visits Phoenix on Tuesday before returning to host the Spurs a night later in the back-to-back.

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The Astros can breathe a sigh of relief.Photo by Christopher Pasatieri/Getty Images.

Houston Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez has a strained muscle at the top of his right hand, a diagnosis that instills optimism he won’t have a prolonged stay on the injured list.

The three-time All-Star went on the 10-day injured list Monday, retroactive to Saturday, and returned to Houston for an MRI that revealed the muscle strain.

“We look at it as good news,” Astros manager Joe Espada said before their Wednesday afternoon game with the Milwaukee Brewers.

Espada expressed hope that Alvarez wouldn’t have to stay on the injured list longer than the required 10 days. He also said the hand issue may have played a role in Alvarez’s slow start.

Alvarez, 27, is hitting .210 with a .306 on-base percentage, three homers and 18 RBIs in 29 games this season. He batted .308 with a .392 on-base percentage, 35 homers and 86 RBIs in 147 games last year while ranking ninth in the AL Most Valuable Player balloting.

He has posted an OPS of at least .959 and has finished 13th or higher in the MVP voting each of the last three seasons.

“Once he heals, once he gets back, I think we’ll see a more aggressive at bat and be not as cautious,” Espada said. “I think it had something to do with it, yes.”

His potential return could go a long way toward boosting an Astros lineup that hasn’t been as productive as usual this season. The Astros entered Wednesday’s action ranked 21st in the majors in runs (136) and 23rd in OPS (.676). Houston has ranked 11th or better in both those categories each of the last four seasons.

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