In a surprising turn, the Golden State Warriors squandered a chance to eliminate the Houston Rockets, losing Game 5 of their playoff series 131-116. After taking a 3-1 series lead, the Warriors faced a daunting first half, trailing significantly. The performance of Stephen Curry is now under scrutiny as he deals with a potential thumb injury, which seemed to affect his shooting consistency throughout the series. Despite a stellar 31-point outing in Game 1, Curry's subsequent games have shown fluctuations, including a lackluster 13 points in Game 5 on just 4-of-12 shooting.

The Warriors' overall shooting was disappointing, hitting only 41.7% from the field, in stark contrast to the Rockets, who displayed offensive prowess with multiple players exceeding 24 points. Veteran Fred VanVleet led Houston with 26 points, showcasing depth and efficiency that the Warriors struggled to match. As the playoff series shifts back to San Francisco for Game 6, the Warriors must regroup quickly to avoid a series collapse.