Reed Sheppard capped a career-best 31-point performance by sinking a key hoop with 2:58 remaining, Alperen Sengun added another in the final minute and the Houston Rockets outlasted the Golden State Warriors 104-100 on Wednesday in an NBA Cup game at San Francisco.
In the season’s first rematch of Golden State’s first-round playoff upset of second-seeded Houston last April, Amen Thompson chipped in with 10 points and 14 rebounds for the Rockets, who finished Cup play with a 2-2 record in West Group C.
Houston will not advance to the Western semifinals of the Cup, nor will the Warriors, who fell for the third time in four Cup games and saw Stephen Curry limp to the locker room in the final seconds, favoring his left leg.
The Rockets, without Kevin Durant, trailed by as many as 14 points in the third quarter and led by as many as eight in the final period.
Despite Curry shooting just 4-for-13 overall and 2-for-9 from 3-point range, the Warriors managed to stay within arm’s length.
The game was tied 91-all after Warriors rookie Will Richard dropped in a layup at the 3:43 mark.
Thompson’s two free throws 19 seconds later gave Houston the lead for good, after which Sheppard’s key jumper doubled the advantage.
Thompson scored on an alley-oop, and after Golden State cut the deficit to 97-93, Sengun buried a jumper over Draymond Green with 52.1 seconds left, icing Houston’s 12th win in the past 14 games.
Sheppard hit 12 of his 25 shots and four of Houston’s 11 3-pointers in topping his previous career high of 27, set in a Rockets loss against the Denver Nuggets on Friday. The second-year guard also found time for a career-best nine rebounds, five assists and two blocks.
Sengun helped out with 16 points despite 7-for-18 shooting, while Jabari Smith Jr. added 15 points and Aaron Holiday had 14. Clint Capela grabbed 12 rebounds, eight offensive, in 18 minutes off the bench.
Durant was away from the team for personal reasons.
The Warriors, who were without Jonathan Kuminga and Al Horford before losing Gary Payton II in the second quarter to an undisclosed injury, were led by Jimmy Butler III with 21 points.
Green collected team highs in rebounds and assists with eight apiece to go with 12 points. Richard finished with 18 points, Curry and Brandin Podziemski had 14 apiece and Quinten Post wound up with 12.
The loss was Golden State’s fourth in the past five games.
