At the time, the Rockets were only down four.
Draymond Green appeared to knock the ball out of bounds on a deflection off his right hand. Good deal, a chance for Houston to cut into the Warriors’ slim lead.
But the refs ruled it Golden State ball, and it wasn’t overturned despite seemingly clear video evidence.
On the ensuing possession, Stephen Curry drilled a backbreaking 3, and for all intents and purposes, the Rockets’ comeback hopes ended there.
Rockets trailed 79-75, nearly won possession on this scramble.
Steven Adams was irate at not receiving the out-of-bounds call, Steph Curry follows with a deep triple. Huge sequence. pic.twitter.com/aIYNb017I1
— Michael Shapiro (@mshap2) April 21, 2025
MORE: Steph Curry hits impossible 3-pointers to beat Rockets
This call didn’t decide the game, but it didn’t help.
The Rockets hurt themselves, too. They grabbed more than two-fifths of the available offensive rebounds yet couldn’t convert them into enough points to keep up once Curry started drilling a bonanza of late 3s.
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It’s a tough beat for the 2-seed, which got a bad draw against Curry, Jimmy Butler and the red-hot Warriors.
If the Rockets could’ve taken Game 1, they’d be feeling good about their chances.
Now, down a game to some all-time greats, it feels very different.
And in a crucial moment, when it looked like at least one bounce went Houston’s way, the Rockets didn’t get the call. As far as momentum went, it hurt big time.
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