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As Steph and the Warriors hold off Rockets' late surge to secure victory Summary: The Golden State Warriors, led by Stephen Curry, managed to withstand a late comeback from the Houston Rockets to secure a hard-fought win. The team's resilience and determination were on full display as they held off the Rockets' late surge.

BOX SCORE

For how frustrating the Warriors’ loss to the Dallas Mavericks was on Wednesday night, they found a way to stave off the Houston Rockets in their Texas two-step for the perfect amount of momentum headed into the NBA All-Star break on Thursday night with a 105-98 win at Toyota Center.

Steph Curry scored a game-high 27 points – 15 in the first half and 12 in the second – and made a game-high five 3-pointers. Jimmy Butler tallied 19 points, eight rebounds and four assists, and Brandin Podziemski was the Warriors’ needed third scorer by dropping in 18 points of his own.

Steph drains the clutch bucket

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— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) February 14, 2025

The Warriors shot a lowly 26.8 percent on 3-pointers and made 11 overall, one fewer than the Rockets. Instead of the long ball, the Warriors won the game in other areas.

They were 24 of 27 from the free-throw line, a 14-point advantage over the Rockets. Their defense went all-out, especially in the first half, and the unit totaled 13 steals and six blocked shots.

Here are three takeaways from Thursday’s game as the Warriors head into the All-Star break one game above .500 at 28-27.

Buddy Out, Podz In

The Warriors now are tied atop the standings. Well, that is, a list of the most starting lineups in the NBA this season. With their 33rd different starting five, Steve Kerr had Podziemski replace Buddy Hield alongside Curry, Butler, Moses Moody and Draymond Green. Rookie center Quinten Post also was sent to the bench, replaced by Moody.

Hield was a game-worst minus-21 Wednesday night in the Warriors’ loss to the Dallas Mavericks. Podziemski was a team-high plus-13 in 24 minutes off the bench. Something had to give, making Kerr once again trot out another new group to begin Thursday’s game.

The change immediately was warranted. Podziemski scored six points in the first quarter and eight in the second, giving him 14 first-half points – just one behind Curry. And though he only scored two points, Hield was a plus-13 through the first two quarters off the bench.

While Hield never found his shot and finished 1 of 5 from the field and 0 of 4 from deep, Podziemski’s impact continued to be felt.

Two-way Podz
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— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) February 14, 2025

Along with his 18 points, Podziemski also had five rebounds, four assists and four steals, including one where he ripped the ball from his opponent in the final minute.

Feeling Moody

Podziemski joining the first five on the floor was the bigger story, but Moody made sure to make his presence felt as well. In major ways, too. Which really isn’t anything new for the fourth-year pro.

Moody’s first half featured a bit of everything. Offensively, Moody continued to attack closeouts and forcefully get to the basket. He made one of his three 3-point attempts, flew in for a tip-in and scored 10 points. Defensively, Moody took a charge, blocked two shots and swiped a steal.

Moses Podz
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— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) February 14, 2025

Moses Moody with the rejection

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— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) February 14, 2025

Hustle >>>

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— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) February 14, 2025

Though Moody didn’t score in the second half, his hustle never stopped. Moody had six rebounds, two steals and two blocked shots. He was all over the floor and now has scored in double figures in 13 of his last 15 games.

Final Four Minutes

For the fourth time this season, the Warriors found themselves in a clutch game against the Rockets. That makes 34 clutch games on the 2024-25 NBA season as a whole for the Warriors, tied with the Rockets and Minnesota Timberwolves for the league lead. The real clutch time for the Warriors was the final four minutes when Kerr went back to his starting lineup.

At the 3:56 mark, Green replaced Kevon Looney as the Warriors held a four-point lead. Just 14 seconds later, Green found Curry for a relocate 3-pointer that felt more like 10 points.

The Chef is cooking in H-Town ‍

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— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) February 14, 2025

The Warriors’ next three possessions were a Green floater, a cutting Butler dunk off a pass from Green and then Butler muscling his way to the free-throw line for two points to give the Warriors an 11-point lead.

Give and go ➡️

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— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) February 14, 2025

But the young Rockets never stopped fighting – until Green’s dagger 3-pointer with 47 seconds remaining. In the final four minutes, the Warriors’ starting five outscored the Rockets by three points for a huge win headed into the All-Star break.

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