The Golden State Warriors missed an opportunity to close out their first-round series against the Houston Rockets, losing to them in Game 5 on Wednesday night, 131-116. Golden State’s starters were thoroughly outplayed, trailing by 27 points at halftime to a Houston team that sensed the urgency of the moment.
After the Warriors failed to cut into the deficit during the third quarter, head coach Steve Kerr made the decision to pull his starters early in preparation for a must-win Game 6 on Friday.
Steve Kerr: “I didn’t have them ready to play clearly.