The Warriors and Klay Thompson weren’t prepared for the Rockets.

Of the previous nine NBA titles, four have been won by the Golden State Warriors. They had players well into their playing primes, into their mid-30s or beyond, including the unquestionably greatest shooter in NBA history, another all-time marksman, the most influential defender of his generation, and a player who truly deserves the moniker “Point God.” What, you believed the Dubs were too successful, too mature, and too experienced to be that petty?

At Toyota Center on Thursday, Golden State easily defeated the Houston Rockets 133-110, extending their winning streak to six games this season—the longest in the NBA. More significantly, with six games remaining, the Warriors moved four games ahead of Ime Udoka’s club in the standings, effectively ending the upstart Rockets’ hopes of topping them for the final play-in berth in the Western Conference.

Not even the chance to crush a team’s hopes for the postseason, which was what had Golden State enthused going into Thursday’s match. The Dubs were obviously motivated by Houston forward Tari Eason’s persistent insults, and they acknowledged that dynamic after the final buzzer.

“A fantastic display, much-needed victory, and most importantly, it was just a lot of fun to defeat these guys,” Klay Thompson stated in an on-court interview with NBC Sports Bay Area. “I am aware that there has been a great deal of trolling and noise. It felt so good to come in and succeed here. This structure has a rich history, and exploring it in Houston is always enjoyable.

Leading the Warriors in one of their most thorough outings of the season in H-Town, Thompson scored 21 of his 29 points in the first half on a string of classic jump shots from all over the court. Only 48 hours after the Splash Brothers combined for 27 points on 32 shots in a hard-fought home victory against the Dallas Mavericks, Stephen Curry equaled Thompson’s 29 points as well.

When explicitly questioned on the postgame platform about Eason’s flaming outfit, Thompson was forced to pounce once more.

Yes, that is really cheesy, especially if you aren’t even participating. Like, it’s one thing to compete and play while backing it up, but it’s quite another to just be trolling from the sidelines. He addressed Eason, saying, “Like, bro, what are we doing?” “We talk mess sometimes, but at least we’re in the game.” That’s all I have to say about it: I’m not going to.

Warriors end ‘soft or scared’ Rockets’ play-in hopes

When it came to his team’s lackluster performance with the season at stake, Udoka didn’t hold back. However, it was impossible to see the first minutes of Thursday’s game and get a different conclusion from what he so openly acknowledged to reporters.

For many of the players present, it appeared that the occasion was too great. Udoka remarked, “It kind of looked like a deer in the headlights.” “We gave off the impression that we were either terrified or we were soft, which is problematic for many of our guys. didn’t get up to the occasion as I had anticipated.”

Golden State surged off to an early 19-6 lead, laying off Houston’s non-shooters while defensively swarming a scorching Jalen Green at the point of attack. The Rockets were completely unable to match the Warriors’ own combination of cohesiveness and efficiency on the other side of the ball, never managing to break free from those restraints in the halfcourt.

Games when experience and general competitive disparities are thus clearly displayed on the field are uncommon. Houston can be commended for at least keeping the game lively before to tipoff on Thursday, but once play got underway, it was clear which club was more likely to make an impression in the play-in round—with or without the extra motivation of trash talk before the game.Perhaps Eason will reconsider poking the bear the next time. With the Warriors destroying their postseason hopes, he and the Rockets will, at the very least, have plenty of time to think about taking a more measured approach.