It looked like the Golden State Warriors were going to cruise to victory over the Houston Rockets on ring night (and the rings are amazing). The Warriors had a 16-point lead late in the third quarter and took a 13-point lead into the fourth quarter.
But the Rockets made a furious comeback to take a one-point lead in the final minute, and that remained the score going into the final possession. The Warriors drew up a play for Steph Curry, but Curry missed the long jumper, and there was a scramble for the ball before Kevin Durant threw up a jumper at the buzzer. Swish, and Warriors win… or so it appeared.
But the officials looked at the play on replay and determined that the ball (barely) didn’t leave Durant’s hands before the buzzer:
That gave the Rockets the win, and in Chris Paul’s Houston debut. The point guard only had four points, but did dish out 11 assists and pull down eight rebounds, while being limited due to a knee injury.
Mike D'Antoni on Chris Paul (knee) sitting down the stretch: "Dragging his leg a little bit, I had to get him out of there."
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) October 18, 2017
So that’s definitely something to monitor going forward. But for now, the Rockets will definitely be content with spoiling the Warriors’ ring night and getting a terrific road win to open the season.
