Starting 5, May 3: Rockets force Game 7, Clippers-Nuggets finale, Popovich bids farewell

Before we dive into the Rockets forcing Game 7 in the Bay, and get you ready for tonight’s Clippers-Nuggets Game 7 in Denver, we pause to salute a legend.

Gregg Popovich – the NBA’s all-time leader in coaching wins – stepped down as head coach of the Spurs on Friday, ending an unmatched 29-year run on the sidelines.

5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀
May 3, 2025 | What’s inside today’s edition?

Closing Time: Houston’s defense shines as Rockets dominate 4th quarter to extend series
Rockets Force Game 7: A red-hot VanVleet and the 2-big lineup fuel Houston’s Game 6 win
Clippers-Nuggets: It all comes down to one game to decide who advances to face OKC
Game 7 History: How Denver & LA have fared in Game 7s ahead of the 152nd ever tonight
End Of An Era: Gregg Popovich ends remarkable coaching career, transitions to new role

1. ROCKETS DOMINATE 4TH QUARTER TO FORCE GAME 7

Steph Curry scored the final four points of the 3rd quarter to cut Houston’s lead to two points (86-84) entering the game’s final frame.

The Rockets tripled that lead in just six seconds on a Fred VanVleet 4-point play to open the 4th. It was just the start of a game-sealing – and potentially series-altering – final 12 minutes in the Bay

Houston opened the 4th on a 20-5 run that featured three key factors.

• Jumbo Lineups: Houston went big with Alperen Sengun and Steven Adams for the entire run with either Jabari Smith Jr. or Amen Thompson at the 3 alongside VanVleet and Jalen Green in the backcourt
• Heavy Dose Of Zone: Anchored by Adams in the middle, the Rockets frustrated the Warriors with a swarming zone defense that kept Golden State out of rhythm
• “The boys on the ball are doing a really good job.” – Adams praised his teammates for consistently forcing tough shots
• Missed Opportunities: As good as Houston’s defense was, the Warriors did generate some good looks at the basket, but were unable to knock them down. The Warriors opened the quarter 1-of-16 from the field and 0-of-10 from deep

Let’s break down some film of Houston’s defensive efforts in the decisive quarter:

As Jimmy Butler III drives the lane and kicks out to the corner, watch the closeouts by Sengun and the rotations from Adams and Jalen Green to shut off Golden State’s shot opportunities until Butler III takes a contested corner 3.

Green sticks with Steph Curry along the baseline to slow down the play before Curry runs off a stagger screen looking for a pass for a wing 3. Sengun switches on the play perfectly to grab the steal.

A signature Warriors play when Curry is doubled off pick-and-roll. He finds a rolling Draymond Green  heading down the lane for a 4-on-3 advantage below the 3-point line. As Draymond tries to dish to the cutting Gary Payton II, Adams plays goalie and comes up with the steal.

Curry screens for Butler III, then pops to the 3-point line. Once Butler III’s drive is stopped, Smith Jr. recovers to Curry, forcing him off the 3 and into a drive. Green and Adams clog the lane, forcing a kick out to Butler III in the corner, which Smith Jr. rotates over to contest.

The Rockets were a top-five defense during the regular season as they earned the West’s 2-seed. They relied on that defense with their season on the line, helping them become just the 36th team to force Game 7 after trailing 3-1 and one win away from being the 14th to ever pull off the comeback (13-279 all-time).

2. ROCKETS SHUT DOWN WARRIORS TO EXTEND SERIES

On the same day Gregg Popovich stepped down as head coach of the Spurs after a historic 29-year run, two of his former players squared off on the sidelines as Steve Kerr’s Warriors hosted Ime Udoka’s Rockets in Game 6 of their first-round series.

Playing on the road with their season on the line, it was Udoka’s Rockets that prevailed on Friday to force a winner-take-all Game 7 back in Houston on Sunday.

Rockets 115, Warriors 107: Fred VanVleet (29 pts, 6 3pm) and Alperen Sengun (21 pts, 14 reb) combined for 50 points, while Steven Adams added 17 off the bench to help the Rockets stave off elimination. | Recap | 5 Takeaways

• Back & Forth Early: The lead changed hands 10 times in the 1st quarter as neither team led by more than six in the game’s opening 12 minutes
• Trading Runs: Houston extended its four-point 1st-quarter lead to 11 with 3:49 left in the half before Steph Curry went on a personal 11-0 run to tie the game in under 100 seconds
• Rockets Answer: That was the final tie of the game as Houston closed the half on a 7-2 run and would lead the rest of the way. The game stayed within single digits throughout the 3rd quarter before Houston pulled away in the 4th

A key to Houston’s success all season was its mix of emerging young talents like Sengun (22 years old), Amen Thompson (22), Jalen Green (23) and Jabari Smith Jr. (21) with veterans like VanVleet (a 2019 champion), Adams (in his 8th Playoffs) and Dillon Brooks (in his 4th Playoffs).

On Friday, it was the vet combo of VanVleet and Adams along with another brilliant all-around game from Sengun that kept Houston’s season going.

• Standing Tall: Adams (17 pts, 5 reb, 3 blk) was plus-15 in a season-high 31 minutes. Golden State’s Hack-a-Shaq strategy to force him off the court backfired as he made 9-of-16 free throws and Houston secured a pair of offensive boards on his misses
• Staying Hot: After scoring 34 total points on 26.8% shooting (including 6-of-29 from 3) in Games 1-3, VanVleet has scored 80 points (25, 26 & 29) on 59% shooting (including 18-of-27 from 3) in Games 4-6
• “I am ready and willing when the time comes to step up and make big plays.” – VanVleet after his Game 6 performance
• Doing It All: Sengun entered Game 6 leading Houston in points, rebounds, assists and steals. Those marks all went up after his performance (21 pts, 14 reb, 6 ast, 3 stl) on Friday

The Warriors dropped consecutive games for only the second time since Jimmy Butler III’s debut in February despite a combined 56 points from Curry (29 pts, 6 3pm, 7 reb) and Butler III (27 pts, 9 reb, 8 ast).

• Missing their chance to close the series at home, it all comes down to Sunday’s Game 7 in Houston (8:30 ET, TNT)
• Curry is 3-2 in Game 7s, with a 32.6 ppg scoring average that ranks 3rd all-time (min. 5 games). He scored 27 in a win over the Rockets in the 2018 West Finals and dropped 50 on the road in his most recent Game 7 in the 2023 First Round

3. MILE-HIGH DRAMA: GAME 7 OF CLIPPERS-NUGGETS IN DENVER TONIGHT

There’s nothing quite like Game 7. The stakes, atmosphere and emotions of the Playoffs reach even greater heights.

A multitude of moments over the first six games suggest we’re in for a thrilling finish to this first-round classic.

“We’ve just got to go for it, lay everything out on the line,” said Clippers coach Tyronn Lue. “These are what you live for growing up as a kid.”

The Clippers dodged elimination at home Thursday and sent the first-round series back to Ball Arena for tonight’s finale (7:30 ET, TNT) against the Nuggets. Four of the six battles between these two have been decided by six points or fewer.

• Game 1: James Harden gets the bounce on a layup from just outside the paint to force overtime. Russell Westbrook, though, plays hero by stealing away the final possession in the extra frame..
• Game 2: Kawhi Leonard punctuates a 39-point outing – his most all series – with a midrange jumper that puts the Clippers up three late. He missed just four of 19 shots.
• Game 4: A desperation 3 in the waning seconds by Nikola Jokić becomes an airball-turned-assist in the hands of Aaron Gordon. The first-ever game-winning, buzzer-beater dunk in league Playoff history results from it.
• Game 6: Denver trimmed a 15-point deficit to six, but a late Norman Powell 3-pointer made all the difference. The Clippers stay alive as Leonard and Harden join Powell with 24+ points.

The Nuggets have two former Kia NBA MVPs at their disposal for this occasion, and they’re both familiar with the moment.