Stephen Curry’s fourth quarter eruption sends Rockets to 11th consecutive home loss

HOUSTON — The Houston Rockets did not score their first basket until the 7:44 mark of the first quarter due to a made free throw by Jalen Green. Twenty seconds later, Christian Wood nailed the Rockets’ first field goal of the night after Houston missed their first seven shot attempts at the start of the game.

The Rockets overcame their premature offensive struggles by outscoring the Golden State Warriors 15-4 over the next several offensive possessions. But it wasn’t enough to prevent the Rockets from sustaining a 122-108 loss to the Warriors Monday night inside the Toyota Center.

With the loss, the Rockets fell to 14-36 on the season and extended their home losing streak to 11. The loss against the Warriors also concluded Houston’s three-game regular-season series, where Golden State completed the 3-0 sweep.

Wood had another notable performance despite missing practice on Sunday due to migraine problems. Wood registered his sixth double-double over the last eight games by scoring a team-high 24 points and 13 rebounds in the loss to go along with two steals.

After missing the previous game due to the NBA’s Health and Safety Protocols on Friday, Kevin Porter Jr. made his return to the lineup during the series finale against the Warriors. In his return, Porter recorded 17 points and 11 assists — which marked his first double-double performance since a home victory against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Nov. 29.

The Rockets trailed by as many as 18 points midway through the game but were unable to complete an improbable comeback — similar to their previous game against the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday.

Against the Trail Blazers, Portland held off the Rockets’ fourth-quarter rally with a total team effort. Against the Warriors, Golden State prevented the Rockets from ending their home losing skid due to the talents of Stephen Curry.

Curry — who came into the game averaging 21.0 points on 39.0 percent shooting from the field, 33.3 percent shooting from behind the arc — erupted for 21 fourth-quarter points. The future Hall-of-Famer ended the night with a game-high 40 points while shooting 56.5 percent from the field and 50.0 percent from deep.

In addition to Curry, the Warriors received a substantial contribution from first-time All-Star Andrew Wiggins, who added 23 points in the win.

After the loss, the Rockets will attempt to end their home losing skid on Wednesday against the 31-20 Cleveland Cavaliers. Tip-off is slated for 7 P.M. CT inside the Toyota Center.