The Houston Rockets are in the semifinals of the NBA Cup in some classic NBA Cup drama.

The Rockets defeated the Golden State Warriors 91-90 in a game that went from a defensive clinic for Houston, to a resurgent show of force for Golden State, to a straight-up thriller in the final minute, and finally to a heated controversy in the final seconds .

Houston, coming off a 15-game loss to the Warriors, will face the Oklahoma City Thunder, who defeated the Dallas Mavericks the night before, in Las Vegas on Saturday.

The game revolved around a wild series of events in the final 30 seconds. After leading by six points with a minute and a half left, the Warriors’ lead was reduced to a single point by a layup by Alperen Şengün with 27 seconds left.

Stephen Curry made an open 3-pointer and missed, but Gary Payton II got the game-winning rebound. Until he tried to play the ball lying down and surrounded by the Rockets. Jalen Green got the ball and drew a foul right after Houston entered the bonus.

The piece was confusing for several reasons. Payton could have called a timeout and avoided a timeout, but the Rockets also could have received a foul when Fred VanVleet landed on him while fighting for the ball. The foul that gave the Rockets the game-winning free throw was also questionable, as it could easily have been called a jump ball.

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr was angry both during and after the game. This is how he reacted at that moment:

And here’s what he had to say while speaking to reporters after the game:

And then:

Green made both free throws to take the lead. Golden State had 3.5 seconds and a timeout left – thanks to Payton – but Brandin Podziemski’s attempt to tie the game was blocked. Mistakes were made and the result was that Houston’s history was destroyed. And disbelief for the warriors.

The Rockets’ 15-game losing streak against the Warriors dated back to February 20, 2020. The last time the Rockets beat their playoff nemesis of the last decade, James Harden and Russell Westbrook were involved, and not a single player in Wednesday’s rotation was involved on the team.

Thanks to a 16-8 record and the second-best defensive rating in the NBA, this team’s young squad at least entered Wednesday with more confidence than usual. That strength was on display in the first half as they pressured the Warriors in a way no one else has this season. Entering the half, the Warriors trailed 44-37 and shot 16 of 42 (4 of 22 from 3-point range) with 10 turnovers.

But you can only keep the Warriors offense down for so long. In the final two minutes, the Warriors had a 90-84 lead. That didn’t stop the Rockets from getting a win, even if Golden State had some legitimate criticism of the outcome.