Sengun's 19 points, 14 rebounds power Rockets past Warriors 106-96 as Curry struggles

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Alperen Sengun had 19 points and 14 rebounds, Dillon Brooks scored 24 points and the Houston Rockets snapped the Golden State Warriors' five-game winning streak with a 106-96 victory Sunday night in a matchup of Western Conference powers.

Stephen Curry was held to three points on 1-for-10 shooting — missing seven of eight 3-pointers — for his lowest total this season in a game he was healthy. Curry scored two points Dec. 19 at Memphis, but suffered a pelvic contusion in a hard fall.

Jalen Green scored 21 points and Jabari Smith Jr. tested his right ankle sprain before the game and came off the bench to score 16 points for Houston, currently ranked second in the West standings with three games to go.

Buddy Hield had 20 points and Brandin Podziemski 19 points to lead the Warriors.

Rockets: Snapped a seven-game losing streak on the Warriors' home floor dating to a 135-105 win on Feb. 20, 2020. ... Houston has three straight games in California before returning home to host Denver in Sunday's regular-season finale.

Warriors: Curry (25,281) passed Reggie Miller (25,279) for 24th place on the NBA's career scoring list. ... The Warriors had won 10 of 11 at home.

With 9:57 left in the third quarter, officials reviewed and determined that Draymond Green's forceful driving layup into Sengun qualified as a Flagrant 1 foul when the 6-foot-11 Sengun's neck jerked backward — specifying that the contact with the head played a factor in the ruling. It was Green's fifth personal.

Curry didn't score until his 37-foot 3-pointer 2 seconds before halftime on his third shot of the night facing constant pressure — but he dished out seven of his eight assists before the break.

The Rockets play at the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night, while Golden State visits Phoenix on Tuesday before returning to host the Spurs a night later in the back-to-back.

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Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka reacts during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Golden State Warriors, Sunday, April 6, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green (4) shoots while defended by Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, April 6, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Golden State Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski (2) defends against Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, April 6, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) shoots a 3-point basket over Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet (5) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, April 6, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) gestures during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Houston Rockets, Sunday, April 6, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga, right, loses possession of the ball against Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, April 6, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga (00) moves the ball while defended by Houston Rockets forward Dillon Brooks (9) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, April 6, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Golden State Warriors guard Gary Payton II (0) shoots next to Houston Rockets forward Dillon Brooks (9) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, April 6, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green (4) takes the ball away from Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, April 6, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) reacts after being fouled while making a basket during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Golden State Warriors, Sunday, April 6, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Moscow freed a Russian American convicted of treason in exchange for a Russian-German man jailed on smuggling charges in the U.S., a prisoner swap that was completed Thursday as the two countries met to repair ties.

Ksenia Karelina is “on a plane back home to the United States,” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a post on social media platform X. She was arrested in the Ural Mountains city of Yekaterinburg in February 2024 and convicted of treason on charges stemming from a donation of about $52 to a charity aiding Ukraine. U.S. authorities have called the case “absolutely ludicrous.”

Arthur Petrov was released as part of a swap in Abu Dhabi, United Araba Emirates, according to the Federal Security Service, or FSB, Russia's main security and counterespionage agency. Petrov was arrested in Cyprus in August 2023 at the request of the U.S. on charges of smuggling sensitive microelectronics to Russia and extradited to the U.S. a year later.

Karelina was among a growing number of Americans arrested in Russia in recent years as tensions between Moscow and Washington spiked over the war in Ukraine. Her release is the latest in a series of high-profile prisoner exchanges Russia and the U.S. carried out in the last three years — and the second since President Donald Trump took office and reversed Washington's policy of isolating Russia in an effort to end the war in Ukraine.

Russian and U.S. diplomats met Thursday in Istanbul for another round of talks on improving diplomatic ties. The discussions ended after six hours without statements from the delegations, the Tass and RIA Novosti state news agencies reported.

In February, Russia released American teacher Marc Fogel, imprisoned on drug charges, in a swap that the White House described as part of a diplomatic thaw that could advance peace negotiations. That same month, Russia released another American just days after arresting him on drug smuggling charges.

Karelina, a former ballet dancer also identified in some media as Ksenia Khavana, lived in Maryland before moving to Los Angeles. She was arrested when she returned to Russia to visit her family last year.

The FSB accused her of “proactively" collecting money for a Ukrainian organization that was supplying gear to Kyiv's forces. The First Department, a Russian rights group, said the charges stemmed from a $51.80 donation to a U.S. charity aiding Ukraine.

Karelina’s lawyer, Mikhail Mushailov, said on Instagram that she had been in touch with her family since her release.

“I am overjoyed to hear that the love of my life, Ksenia Karelina is on her way home from wrongful detention in Russia,” Karelina’s fiancé, Chris van Heerden, said in a statement. “She has endured a nightmare for 15 months and I cannot wait to hold her. Our dog, Boots, is also eagerly awaiting her return.”

He thanked Trump and his envoys, as well as prominent public figures who had championed her case.

White House national security adviser Mike Waltz said on X that “President Trump and his administration continue to work around the clock to ensure Americans detained abroad are returned home to their families.”

The exchange was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.

Karelina was headed to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, according to a person familiar with the situation who insisted on anonymity to discuss her case.

The United Arab Emirates' state-run WAM news agency released photos of Karelina boarding a plane and one of her standing next to Yousef al-Otaiba, the UAE’s ambassador to the U.S.

The FSB, which said that Russian President Vladimir Putin had pardoned Karelina before the swap, released a video that showed her being escorted to a plane somewhere in Russia. The footage then featured of what appeared to be the scene of exchange at the Abu Dhabi airport, with Petrov walking off a plane and shaking hands with Russian officials on the tarmac.

The same video showed Petrov undergoing medical checkups on a flight to Russia. “I have no particular complaints, just a bit tired,” he said.

Petrov was accused by the U.S. Justice Department of involvement in a scheme to procure microelectronics subject to U.S. export controls on behalf of a Russia-based supplier of critical components for the country's weapons industries. He was facing a 20-year prison term in the U.S.

Abu Dhabi was the scene of another high-profile prisoner swap between Russia and the United States. In December 2022, American basketball star Brittney Griner was traded for the notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.

The UAE has been a mediator in prisoner swaps between Russia and Ukraine, while the skyscraper-studded city of Dubai has become home to many Russians and Ukrainian who fled there after the start of Moscow’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Litvinova reported from Tallinn, Estonia. Associated Press writer Eric Tucker in Washington contributed.

This photo released by the state-run WAM news agency shows Yousef al-Otaiba, the UAE ambassador to the U.S., left, standing next to U.S.-Russian dual national Ksenia Karelina after her release at an airport in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, April 10, 2025. (WAM via AP)

This photo released by the state-run WAM news agency shows U.S.-Russian dual national Ksenia Karelina getting on a private jet after her release at an airport in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, April 10, 2025. (WAM via AP)

FILE - Ksenia Karelina, also known as Khavana sits in a glass cage in a court room in Yekaterinburg, Russia, Thursday, June 20, 2024. (AP Photo, File)

FILE - Ksenia Karelina, also known as Khavana sits in a glass cage in a court room in Yekaterinburg, Russia, Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024.(AP Photo/File)