HOUSTON — Stephen Curry was absent, receiving treatment after a scary fall in the second quarter, and the rest of the Golden State Warriors were left to fend for themselves.
It was not an ideal situation for the Warriors, who did what they could to absorb every blow that the Houston Rockets delivered. Curry, one of the N.B.A.’s brightest stars, returned in the third quarter, but that was the lone victory for the Warriors on a night when nearly everything else went wrong.
Facing elimination in the Western Conference finals, the Rockets showcased their resilience Monday in a 128-115 victory at Toyota Center that trimmed the Warriors’ lead in the series to three games to one.