Golden State Warriors vs Houston Rockets Full Game 6 Highlights - May 2, 2025 | NBA Playoffs

Fred van Vliet just detonated in the fourth quarter, burying three after three, silencing the Warriors, and sending Game 6 into the books as a Rockets masterpiece. Golden State had the lead. They had the momentum, but when it mattered most, Houston broke them down piece by piece, possession by possession. This was not just a win. This was a statement. Before we break down one of the most unforgettable games of the 2025 NBA playoffs, be sure to subscribe to Basketball Insider USA. Your support fuels the fire and brings you elite breakdowns night after night. Alperin Sengen wasted no time, slipping behind Kevon Looney and hammering down a two-handed dunk off a gorgeous pocket pass from Fred van Vliet. The crowd roared to life. On the other end, Draymond Green took the baton from Steph Curry and launched a straight-on three that ripped through the net, calm, cold, and clinical. Possessions were battles, Curry darted around off-ball screens like a shadow, shaking defenders and finding daylight. On one of those cuts, he caught a quick feed from clay and dished a no-look dime to Gary Payton, too, who soared for a high-flying alley-oop finish that nearly tore the rim off. But Houston countered with grit and energy. Dylan Brooks dived for a loose ball like his life depended on it, flipping it back to van Vliet, who sank a leaning three from the corner while stumbling out of bounds, pure madness. On the next trip, Tari Eason fought through contact, rose above defenders, and kissed the ball off the glass on a twisting layup. Jabari Smith Jr. came off the bench firing, drilling a clean catch and shoot triple from the wing. Golden State's bench answered when Moses Moody squared up and drained a pull-up three of his own. The quarter ended with Houston up by just a few, but the intensity, the contact, and the shot-making had already reached playoff peak levels. The second quarter was a rollercoaster of runs, collapses, and chaos. Draymond Green led the charge early with his trademark versatility, stripping Jabari Smith on one end and tossing a laser outlet to Steph for a left-handed layup on the other. Clay Thompson followed with a picture-perfect fadeaway over two defenders. For a moment, Golden State had rhythm. But it wouldn't last. Steven Adams crashed the glass like a wrecking ball, muscling up a putback that sent Looney flying. Moments later, Sengen found him cutting backdoor, threading a bounce pass through a thicket of arms. The dunk that followed rattled the entire arena. VanVleet then took over, calm, surgical, terrifying. He pulled up from 28 feet in transition and sank a deep three with a defender right in his grill. Crowd screaming. Warriors stunned. Then came another, a drifting triple from the right wing, feet barely set, splash. He was locked in. He was merciless. On the other end, Curry tried to keep the dubs close. He wove through defenders with a live dribble, stepped back, and hit a floater off glass. Then Butler responded with a veteran move, baiting contact on a pump fake and hitting the fadeaway anyway. By halftime, the Rockets held a slight edge, and Fred VanVleet had already reached 14 points. You could see it in Golden State's eyes, they were searching for answers. The third began with the Warriors sharpening their knives. Curry opened with a deep triple, then faked a pass, split two defenders, and finished high off the glass with that signature English only he can deliver. Draymond Green clamped up Sengen on one end and ran the break like a point guard, hitting clay for a pull-up from the elbow, pure. The Warriors took the lead, and the bench erupted. But Houston didn't flinch. VanVleet struck back with the shot of the night so far, dribbling into a defender, taking the contact, and still burying a fading three. Four-point play, crowd mayhem, then came the chain reaction. Jabari Smith popped out beyond the arc, received the kickout, and nailed a high arcing three that barely touched the net. Tari Eason followed with a full-court sprint that ended in a sky-walking two-hand dunk, slicing through the defense like a blade. Still, the Warriors wouldn't go away. Jimmy Butler attacked the paint, took on contact, and flipped in a tough-in-one layup. Draymond finished the quarter with a clutch putback to bring Golden State back within four. But the storm was coming. The Rockets exploded, and Fred VanVleet lit the fuse. He opened the fourth with a dagger, a step-back triple from near the logo. Boom. Then came another, this time off a curl screen, rising over Payton's outstretched arms. Bang. The Rockets took a six-point lead. The Warriors blinked. They'd never regain their footing. Jabari Smith Jr. followed with a deadly corner three. Then Tari Eason ripped the ball away from Moody, sprinted the other direction, and finished with a rim-rattling dunk in transition. The building shook. The Warriors missed eight of their next nine shots. Golden State's offense collapsed under the weight of Houston's defensive pressure. Sengen anchored the paint, cutting off driving lanes and forcing the Dubs into rushed jumpers. Dylan Brooks hounded Curry. Jimmy Butler helped, rotated, and boxed out like it was Game 7. The Rockets were everywhere, smothering, denying, defying. VanVleet then hit his sixth three of the game, a back-breaking shot off the bounce, contested, and still clean. The crowd, nuclear. Draymond threw up a desperation floater. Brick. Curry tried to split a double. Turnover. Then came the exclamation. Spencer Dinwiddie powered through contact, scooped a layup over Looney, and screamed into the rafters. The Rockets outscored Golden State 34-18 in the fourth. Total domination. Fred VanVleet ended the night with 27 points, six threes, and infinite swagger. Jabari Smith Jr. added 17 with surgical precision. Sengen orchestrated the offense with eight assists and sheer brilliance. The Rockets didn't just win. They erased Golden State in the fourth. Final score. Houston 1-11, Golden State 102. And now, it's all on the line. Game 7, in Houston, the Warriors are on the ropes, and the Rockets are roaring. Subscribe to Basketball Insider USA so you don't miss a second of the drama. Your support keeps us going, and Game 7 promises to be legendary.