March 5, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski (2) shoots the ball while Houston Rockets center Alferen Sengun (28) defends during the second quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images De’Anthony Melton converted a second-chance goal with 5.3 seconds left, and the short-handed Golden State Warriors cruised to a 115-113 overtime win over the host Houston Rockets on Thursday.
Melton collected Gui Santos’ missed tip shot and scored to give the Warriors a 115-112 lead. The Rockets failed to score on their previous possession when Kevin Durant missed his third of three free throws after being fouled with 29.9 seconds left.
Melton finished with 23 points and six rebounds for the Warriors, who were missing Stephen Curry and Kristaps Porzingis in addition to Jimmy Butler III, who was ruled out for the season with an anterior cruciate ligament injury in January. Brandin Podziemski paced the Warriors with 26 points and nine rebounds, including five early in overtime to take a 111-106 lead.
Reed Shepherd led Houston with 30 points, 6 3-pointers, and 6 assists, and Durant added 23 points. Amen Thompson had a double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds, and Alperen Sengun had 17 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists.
Al Horford had 17 points, six rebounds and five assists for the Warriors, while Santos had 14 points, six rebounds and six points.
The spirited play near regulation featured a 3-point play and two hook shots by Sengun, as well as timely 3s from Melton and Horford. He gave the Warriors a 101-99 lead with 45.2 seconds left before Sengun forced overtime with his third basket in the final 1:42.
Golden State appeared to have enough power to stop the Rockets in the bottom of the third inning. But after the Warriors took a 77-69 lead on back-to-back 3s from LJ Cryer, Houston took its first lead again at 80-79 when Thompson hit a steal and a transition dunk on a corner 3.
The Warriors got off to a hot start from behind the arc, building a double-digit lead with 4:27 left in the opening period, when a Melton trey extended the margin to 22-11. The Warriors started the game 3-for-7 on 3-pointers, but the cushion they built around their perimeter ability combined with 18 points in the paint to take a 30-20 lead in the second.
Every time Houston surged in the second quarter, the Warriors had a response. Horford and Podziemski hit 3-pointers after the Rockets cut a 10-point deficit to three.
The Rockets finally rallied 10-0 on 3-pointers by Josh Okogie and Durant to tie the game at 45-45 with 1:25 left in the first half.
But two Santos layups in the final minute gave the Warriors a 51-47 halftime lead.
–Field level media
