With their 2024-25 campaign on the line, the Houston Rockets absolutely annihilated the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday, 131-116. Extended garbage time made the final score look a lot closer than the contest actually was.

The Rockets didn't need any rah-rah speeches or lineup changes ahead of Game 5 vs. Golden State. They played their style, their way to win.

At halftime, the Warriors found themselves trailing 76-49. Houston was led by a remarkably efficient 4-5 from deep first half from Fred VanVleet, who led all scorers with 19 first-half points. However, the story of the Warriors' halftime deficit is not thanks to just VanVleet's excellent play.