ROCKETS FALL IN OT

Warriors outlast Rockets 127-121 in OT after squandering big lead

Rockets Ime Udoka
Warriors defeat the Rockets in OT. Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images.

Buddy Hield scored 27 points and the Golden State Warriors squandered a huge lead before outlasting the Houston Rockets 127-121 in overtime Saturday night.

It’s Golden State’s 14th straight-regular season win over the Rockets and the eighth in a row in Houston.

The Warriors led by 31 points in the first half. The Rockets tied it with an 18-2 run to open the fourth quarter.

Golden State scored the first six points in overtime to make it 125-119 and went on to a third straight win without Steph Curry, who is out with a sprained left ankle.

The Warriors led by five before a 3-pointer by Jabari Smith Jr. cut the lead to 119-117 with 15.5 seconds to go in regulation. Aaron Holiday stole the ball from Draymond Green and he fouled out a few seconds later. Tari Eason made two free throws after that to send it to overtime.

Eason led the Rockets with a career-high 27 points. Smith added 21.

Andrew Wiggins added 15 points for Golden State in his return after missing two games with a strained back.

Takeaways

Warriors: Golden State continued to win without Curry, improving to 5-1 this season. The team said he will be re-evaluated Sunday to see how much longer he’ll be out.

Rockets: Houston played much better after halftime than it did in an awful first half but couldn’t close it out to build on consecutive wins at San Antonio and Dallas.

Key moment

Jonathan Kuminga scored the first two baskets of overtime to make it 123-119. He finished with 23 points.

Key stat

Houston made just 1 of 12 shots in overtime.

Up next

The Rockets host the Knicks on Monday night, while the Warriors visit Washington Monday night.

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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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