The Houston Rockets earned a big win over the Golden State Warriors in Game 5, but what appeared to be a blowout turned out to be a bit more difficult than anticipated.
The Rockets built up a 30-point lead before halftime and extended it past 30 into the second half, but the Warriors' bench went on a 19-5 run to start the fourth quarter. The Rockets had been resting their starters, but needed to put them back into the game with close to eight minutes remaining to stop the run.
Though Houston's starting five were able to right the ship and the team went on to a 131-116 victory, they may have lost a chance to rest before Friday's Game 6 in Golden State.
"This is not good for the Rockets -- starters on the floor getting feisty with Warriors' backups," noted reporter Tim Kawakami in a post on X.
The Rockets starters also had some tense moments after coming back into the game, with Alperen Sengun getting into a tussle with Warriors guard Pat Spencer, who was ejected after headbutting the Rockets big man. The tussle led to some concerns about Houston's key players.
"Rockets need to pull their starters," ESPN reporter Bobby Marks warned just after Spencer's ejection.
The Rockets kept their season alive with the win, and now will travel to Golden State for Game 6 on Friday. If they can win and extend the series again, the winner-take-all Game 7 game will be in Houston on Sunday.
More must-reads: