The result was Stephen Curry finishing with 3 points on 1-of-10 shooting and 1-of-8 from 3, and the Warriors, as a team, had 20 turnovers. The other result was a 106-96 Rockets win.

The Warriors landed the opening haymaker with a 45-point first quarter. Steph Curry set the tone early, burying five 3-pointers in the opening frame for a red-hot 19 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the field. However, Golden State's early 13-point lead wasn't enough, with Ja Morant and the Grizzlies striking back in the second quarter.

But the Rockets, who turned in a virtuosic defense performance worthy of intense study, were not the real winners of the game. No, that, instead, would be us. Rivalries are the lifeblood of sports, and there are few NBA rivalries — if any — that bring out the kind of fire and brimstone that the Rockets and Warriors seem to have for each other.

San Francisco, California, USA; Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet (5) dribbles the ball in front of Golden State Warriors guard Buddy Hield (7) in the fourth quarter at the Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images / Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images The Houston Rockets pulled off a major win against the Golden State Warriors last night,

The Rockets pushed the Warriors down the standings and proved themselves to be the second-best team in the West with this statement win.

The Rockets (52-27) have mathematically clinched the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference courtesy of Oklahoma City’s win over the Lakers (48-31).

Rockets head coach Ime Udoka and Warriors superstar Steph Curry each had words of glowing praise for second-year Rockets prospect Amen Thompson.

The Warriors’ 106-96 loss to the Houston Rockets can be traced to two directly connected failures. The first was the inability to take care of the ball, committing 20 turnovers, and the second being the launchpad those giveaways provided for the Rockets.