When Jabari Smith, Jr. blocked Brandin Podziemski at the buzzer Wednesday night, he didn’t just get the Houston Rockets a berth in the NBA Cup semifinals. He broke the Golden State Warriors’ 15-game winning streak against Houston.
The Rockets held the Warriors to a single point in the final 3:38 of their 91-90 win Wednesday, giving them their first win over Golden State since Feb. 20, 2020. Since that 135-105 win, there have been two United States presidential elections, a global pandemic and five different NBA champions.
The streak had to be particularly vexing for the Rockets because of their recent history with the Warriors. Golden State defeated them in four playoff series between 2015 and 2019. At the same time, the Rockets roster has completely turned over during the 15-game streak. The only Rockets player who was on the roster for both of Houston’s last two wins over Golden State is veteran forward Jeff Green, who played on two other NBA teams before returning to Houston last summer.
But there are a few Rockets who do have history with the Warriors. Dillon Brooks feuded with the Warriors as a member of the Memphis Grizzlies. Center Steven Adams lost in the playoffs to Golden State as a member of the Grizzlies and the Oklahoma City Thunder, when he also absorbed some painful kicks from Draymond Green. Coach Ime Udoka lost to the Warriors in the 2022 NBA Finals as coach of the Boston Celtics.
It was a cathartic win for the team and for the whole fanbase.
The next longest winning streak over a single opponent belongs to the Thunder, who have beaten the Portland Trail Blazers 14 straight times, and haven’t lost to them since April 3, 2021. The Los Angeles Clippers haven’t lost to the Charlotte Hornets since Nov. 18, 2017, a streak of 12 games.
There are also four different teams with double-digit win streaks over the Detroit Pistons, a testament to how miserable their last few seasons have been. The Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks have won 11 straight over the Pistons, while the Clippers and Cleveland Cavaliers have beaten them 10 in a row.
For the Rockets, there’s only one Warriors win streak now: Their own. It’s one game long.
