Warriors will have to do it the hard way, make another trip to Houston after Rockets even series

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors went cold for an extended stretch of the fourth quarter, and now they're going to have to do this the hard way.

They're headed back to Houston for a deciding Game 7 in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs, needing another trip to Texas to try to extend their season after a missed opportunity at home in a 115-107 loss that evened the series with the Rockets at three games apiece.

“I like our chances. I’ve seen what this group can do over the years. We’ve been in a lot of Game 7s, I believe, had a lot of success,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “Jimmy Butler is Jimmy Butler. He’s been in all of these games. He’s one of the clutch performers in the league, so we’ll get ready. We’ll regroup, be ready to roll.”

Golden State's shooters went cold for most of the fourth quarter, giving them little chance down the stretch against Fred VanVleet and second-seeded Houston.

The Warriors missed 13 straight shots between Draymond Green’s basket at the 10:12 mark of the fourth quarter and a 3-pointer by Curry with 3:35 left.

“We’ll be fine, we’ve just got to continue to make the right play, time after time after time,” Butler said. “... We’ve got to stop focusing so much on them and focus on us. If we do that then we're going to be fine. We're not going to sit here and act like we've been playing our best version of basketball 'cause we haven't. And they've been doing OK but they haven't played their best version of basketball either.”

They led the best-of-seven series 3-1 and wanted nothing more than to clinch this at home in Chase Center on Friday night, but instead they get another flight.

Game 7 is on Sunday for a spot in the second round against Minnesota.

“We've kind of found a formula here in the latter part of the season and we stayed with that formula to start the series up 3-1, things are going well and then obviously the last two games have gone very poorly,” Kerr said. “We have to assess everything and lineup combinations, starters, all of that we have to assess and we feel we've got a great chance to go down there and win Game 7."

“A possession here, a possession there, it's not just the points on the board, it's a feeling, it's a vibe, it's a morale, it's momentum,” Curry said. “You've got to dig deep to win these type of games. Thankfully we have an opportunity to go do it. Very confident that we can go do it.”

Curry scored 29 points but shot 9 of 23, going 6 for 16 from deep. Butler added 27 points, nine rebounds and eight assists as the Warriors dropped to 27-11 since his debut on Feb. 8 following his trade from Miami.

Golden State has played its share of Game 7s — with Curry and Green winning four championships together.

“You have to make shots at the end of the day,” Curry said, later adding, “Winning is hard and sustaining it is hard. ... If you want to win at the highest level you have to embrace the hard.”

Butler is most concerned about the hustle plays, the effort to crash the boards and chase down loose balls.

“We've got to get these 50-50 balls, we've got to rebound better," Butler said. “That's been the story this entire series. They've gotten the loose balls and they've gotten way too many offensive rebounds.”

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Golden State Warriors' Moses Moody, second from left, and Quinten Post, right, defend against Houston Rockets' Fred VanVleet (5) in the second quarter of Game 6 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series Friday, May 2, 2025, in San Francisco. A foul was called on the Warriors on the play. (Scott Strazzante/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry (30) drives against Houston Rockets' Jalen Green (4) in the second quarter of Game 6 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series Friday, May 2, 2025, in San Francisco. (Scott Strazzante/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

Golden State Warriors' Moses Moody (4) watches his successful 3-point basket against the Houston Rockets in the second quarter of Game 6 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series Friday, May 2, 2025, in San Francisco. (Scott Strazzante/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry (30) is fouled by Houston Rockets' Dillon Brooks, top left, before making a basket in the second quarter of Game 6 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series Friday, May 2, 2025, in San Francisco. (Scott Strazzante/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

Houston Rockets forward Amen Thompson, right, is blocked by Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) in the second quarter of Game 6 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series Friday, May 2, 2025, in San Francisco. (Santiago Mejia/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

Golden State Warriors' Brandin Podziemskli (2) and Moses Moody (4) defend against Houston Rockets' Dillon Brooks (9) in the first quarter of Game 6 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series Friday, May 2, 2025, in San Francisco. (Scott Strazzante/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

Golden State Warriors' Draymond Green, right, cannot stop Houston Rockets' Alperen Sengun, left, from scoring in the first quarter of Game 6 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series Friday, May 2, 2025, in San Francisco. (Scott Strazzante/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

Houston Rockets forward Dillon Brooks (9) passes the ball while guarded by Golden State Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski (2) in the second quarter of Game 6 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series Friday, May 2, 2025, in San Francisco. (Santiago Mejia/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry (30) is fouled by Houston Rockets' Fred VanVleet, right, in the first quarter of Game 6 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series Friday, May 2, 2025, in San Francisco. (Scott Strazzante/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

NAKHON RATCHASIMA, Thailand (AP) — A construction crane crashed onto a moving passenger train in northeastern Thailand on Wednesday, triggering a fiery derailment that killed at least 32 people and injured dozens more.

The crash occurred in Nakhon Ratchasima, some 200 kilometers (135 miles) northeast of Bangkok, on a section of a planned high-speed rail project that is intended to eventually connect China with much of Southeast Asia.

The province's Public Health Provincial Office said there were 32 fatalities and 64 injured victims, including seven with severe injuries. There were still three passengers missing among the 171 believed to have been on board the train, it said in a statement issued as night fell.

Authorities said the crane was being used to build an elevated part of the railway when it fell as the train was traveling from the capital, Bangkok, to Ubon Ratchathani province. Thailand's Rail Transport Department said the crane was what is called a launching gantry crane, a self-supporting structure with vertical legs that usually runs on rails or wheels for mobility, allowing it to progress along with the construction project that it straddles. Such cranes are often used to help build elevated roads.

Images published in Thai media showed plumes of white, then dark, smoke rising from the crash site, with construction equipment dangling from girders between two concrete support pillars.

Rescue workers stood on top of overturned railway carriages, some of them with gaping holes torn on their sides, video from public broadcaster ThaiPBS showed. What appeared to be sections of the crane were scattered along the track.

Sixty-two year-old Samai Teechantuek, whose house is about 100 meters (yards) from the site of the accident, told The Associated Press of the horror of witnessing the accident, and hearing “the noises screeching, and then bam, bam, bam, all the way over there.”

“When the dust settled, I saw the top of the train carriage. I heard people shouting ‘save the children first!’” she said. "A conductor pulled people out. I saw them pulling many people out. People from the shop over there also ran out to help.”

“My legs were shaking. I was standing there shaking. I didn’t dare going any closer,” she said.

Transport Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said he ordered an investigation.

In August 2024, a railway tunnel on the planned route, also in Nakhon Ratchasima, collapsed, killing three workers. Days of heavy rainfall were believed to have been a factor in the collapse.

The elevated segment that collapsed is a part of a Thai-Chinese high-speed railway project linking the capital to the northeastern province of Nong Khai, bordering Laos. The two-stage rail project has a total investment cost of more than 520 billion baht ($16.8 billion) and is associated with an ambitious plan to connect China with Southeast Asia under Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative. The section where the accident took place had a budget of more than 179 billion baht ($5.7 billion) and according to its original plans was expected to start operating in 2027.

Anan Phonimdaeng, acting governor of the State Railway of Thailand, said the project's contractor is Italian-Thai Development, with a Chinese company responsible for design and construction supervision.

He said authorities will examine the responsibilities of both parties, and the Railway Department plans to take legal action against the contractor as a first step. Damage to the train was estimated to be more than 100 million baht ($3.2 million), while construction equipment suffered limited damage, said Anan.

A statement posted on the company's website expressed condolences to the victims and said the company would take responsibility for paying compensation to the families of the dead and hospitalization expenses for the injured.

The main contractor for the route's first stage between Bangkok and Nakhon Ratchasima, Italian-Thai Development, was also the directly responsible for construction of the segment where Wednesday's accident occurred.

The rail accident sparked outrage because the company, also known as Italthai, was also the co-lead contractor for the State Audit Building in the Thai capital Bangkok, which collapsed during construction in March during a major earthquake.

About 100 people were killed in the collapse, which was the only major structure in Thailand to suffer such serious damage. Dozens of executives were indicted in connection with the disaster but none have yet been tried.

The involvement of Chinese companies in both projects has also drawn attention, as has Italthai's and Chinese companies' involvement in the construction of several expressway extensions in and around Bangkok where several accidents, some fatal, had occurred.

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who was interior minister when the State Audit Building collapsed, said that the Comptroller General’s Department and Transport Ministry are responsible for blacklisting contractors, and the laws could not be amended in the brief time he was interior minister to expedite the matter.

In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said the government was aware of the reports about the accident and had expressed condolences.

“The Chinese government attaches great importance to the safety of projects and personnel, and we are also learning about the situation,” he said. “At present, it appears that the relevant section is being constructed by a Thai company, and the cause of the accident is still under investigation.”

Wasamon reported from Bangkok.

Rescuers try to lift the wreckage after a construction crane fell into a passenger train in Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand, Wednesday, Jan.14, 2026. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit))

Rescuers work amid the wreckage after a construction crane fell into a passenger train in Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand, Wednesday, Jan.14, 2026. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit))

A rescuer stands near the wreckage after a construction crane fell into a passenger train in Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand, Wednesday, Jan.14, 2026. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit))

Rescuers try to lift the wreckage after a construction crane fell into a passenger train in Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand, Wednesday, Jan.14, 2026. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit))

Rescuers work amidst the wreckage after a construction crane fell into a passenger train in Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand, Wednesday, Jan.14, 2026. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit))

Rescuers work amidst the wreckage after a construction crane fell into a passenger train in Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand, Wednesday, Jan.14, 2026. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit))

An aid workers at the scene after a construction crane fell into a passenger train in Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Nathathida Adireksarn)

The wreckage after a construction crane fell into a passenger train in Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Nathathida Adireksarn)

This photo released from Thailand's Ministry of Transport, shows a scene after a construction crane fell into a passenger train in Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (Ministry of Transport via AP)

This photo released from State Railway of Thailand, shows aid workers after a construction crane fell into a passenger train in Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (State Railway of Thailand via AP)

This photo released from State Railway of Thailand, shows a scene after a construction crane fell into a passenger train in Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (State Railway of Thailand via AP)

This photo released from State Railway of Thailand, shows a scene after a construction crane fell into a passenger train in Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (State Railway of Thailand via AP)

This photo released from State Railway of Thailand, shows aid workers after a construction crane fell into a passenger train in Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (State Railway of Thailand via AP)

This photo provided by State Railway of Thailand shows a scene after a construction crane fell into a passenger train in Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (State Railway of Thailand via AP)