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Veteran guard Fred VanVleet has been brilliant in recent playoff games, and it’s perhaps the biggest reason the Houston Rockets have rallied to tie their first-round series against the Golden State Warriors at three games apiece.
A decisive, winner-take-all Game 7 is slated for Sunday night in Houston.
From Monday's Game 4 through Friday’s Game 6, VanVleet has averaged a team-leading 26.7 points and 5.3 assists per game while shooting 59.0% overall and 66.7% on 3-pointers. Two of those three games were on the road, and only one — Game 4, in the final seconds of a very close game — was a loss.
Though VanVleet shot below 40% overall and 35% on 3-pointers during an injury plagued 2024-25 regular season, Warriors star Draymond Green knew to expect more in postseason play.
“I’m not surprised one bit,” Green said after Game 6, in which VanVleet led Houston’s win with 29 points, 8 assists, and 8 rebounds while shooting 6-of-9 on 3-pointers (66.7%). “Fred VanVleet is the reason we lost to Toronto in the Finals, so we know what he’s capable of. Not surprised at all.”
As a sixth man with those 2019 Raptors, VanVleet poured in 22 points off the bench in an NBA Finals-clinching Game 6 at Golden State, including 5-of-11 shooting from 3-point range (45.5%). It's the precise type of big-game performance that made the Rockets target him as a free agent signing in the 2023 offseason.
“I think people, especially veterans, know the urgency of the playoffs,” head coach Ime Udoka said after Game 6. “It gets monotonous, at times, through the regular season. So, sometimes (they) pace themselves, save themselves for the right moment. He’s been a champion. Been there, done that. So, we wouldn’t expect anything less than that, from him.”
More: ‘Whatever it takes’: Veteran Fred VanVleet steps up as Rockets face playoff pressure
This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: Fred VanVleet, thorn in Warriors’ side? Veteran draws playoff praise
Continue reading...
A decisive, winner-take-all Game 7 is slated for Sunday night in Houston.
From Monday's Game 4 through Friday’s Game 6, VanVleet has averaged a team-leading 26.7 points and 5.3 assists per game while shooting 59.0% overall and 66.7% on 3-pointers. Two of those three games were on the road, and only one — Game 4, in the final seconds of a very close game — was a loss.
Though VanVleet shot below 40% overall and 35% on 3-pointers during an injury plagued 2024-25 regular season, Warriors star Draymond Green knew to expect more in postseason play.
“I’m not surprised one bit,” Green said after Game 6, in which VanVleet led Houston’s win with 29 points, 8 assists, and 8 rebounds while shooting 6-of-9 on 3-pointers (66.7%). “Fred VanVleet is the reason we lost to Toronto in the Finals, so we know what he’s capable of. Not surprised at all.”
As a sixth man with those 2019 Raptors, VanVleet poured in 22 points off the bench in an NBA Finals-clinching Game 6 at Golden State, including 5-of-11 shooting from 3-point range (45.5%). It's the precise type of big-game performance that made the Rockets target him as a free agent signing in the 2023 offseason.
“I think people, especially veterans, know the urgency of the playoffs,” head coach Ime Udoka said after Game 6. “It gets monotonous, at times, through the regular season. So, sometimes (they) pace themselves, save themselves for the right moment. He’s been a champion. Been there, done that. So, we wouldn’t expect anything less than that, from him.”
More: ‘Whatever it takes’: Veteran Fred VanVleet steps up as Rockets face playoff pressure
This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: Fred VanVleet, thorn in Warriors’ side? Veteran draws playoff praise
Continue reading...
