The secret to Golden State's victory over the Houston Rockets in Game#1

7:30 AM, April 21, 2025 Coverage: TNT/truTV/Max

Houston, TX Attendance: 18,055 Referees: James Capers, Rodney, Mott Ben Taylor , Gediminas Petrettis

HOUSTON -- The secret to Golden State's victory over the Houston Rockets in Game#1 of their first-round playoff series on Sunday night was easily summarized by Draymond Green.

Green stated, "Steph Curry must be great for us to win basketball games." "And he was simply that." Curry scored 31 points, and the Warriors held on to defeat the Rockets 95-85 after establishing a significant lead.

Curry made 5 of 9 3-pointers and shot 12 of 19 from the field. With a couple of circus shots that sent the bench wild, he impressed his teammates.

After joining the Warriors in a February trade from Miami, Jimmy Butler made his playoff debut for them with 25 points, seven rebounds, six assists, and five steals. Coach Steve Kerr stated, "(Curry) just made some amazing plays and obviously carried us offensively along with Jimmy."

In the third quarter, the seventh-seeded Warriors held a 23-point lead, but Houston, a second-seeded team, cut that to 69-60 heading into the fourth.

Amen Thompson scored a basket with about 5 1/2 minutes left to bring the Rockets within four. A few seconds later, Curry made his fifth 3-pointer of the night to make the score 82-75. Fred Van three-pointer with about 2 1/2 minutes remaining gave the Rockets a second lead of four. This time, Moses Moody made a three-pointer to kick off a 7-0 run that made the score 91-80 and sent fans running for the exits.

Houston will host Game#2 of the best-of-seven series on Wednesday night.

Despite Houston's 22-6 advantage on offensive boards, the Warriors prevailed. Green stated, "I think we can play a lot better." That is what makes it encouraging. We didn't play very well, in my opinion.

Kerr moved into a tie with Larry Brown for the sixth most playoff victories with this victory, which marked the 100th of his playoff coaching career.

Kerr stated, "I'm lucky to coach the guys that I do." "Games are won by players. It is our responsibility to try to assist them in small ways.

Aldermen scored 26 points in his first postseason game for the Rockets, who advanced to the playoffs for the first time since 2020.

However, Van and Jalen Green had trouble, converting just 7 of 34 attempts. Van stated, "We just didn't execute." "I thought we matched that for the most part," she said. "Maybe the physicality was an issue." On a night when Houston missed just 11 of 20 free throws and made just 6 of 29 3-point attempts, Van made just 2 of 13 attempts from distance.

In the Play-In Tournament on Tuesday, the Warriors defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 121-116 to secure a playoff spot. After losing to the Rockets four times between 2015 and 2019, they prevailed once more in the playoffs.

Curry said that this game was different from his previous victories because the Rockets are a completely different team. He stated, "Playoff composure and general experience allow you to kind of withstand the runs and not get flustered." "So we rely more on that than any other part of our history here,"

April 21: In Game 1 of this Western Conference first-round series, the Golden State Warriors defeated the Houston Rockets 95-85 on Sunday. Stephen Curry scored a game-high 31 points, and Jimmy Butler III added 25. Curry, who shot 1-for-10 and scored three points in a home loss to the Rockets on April 6, was brilliant throughout. He made 12 of 19 shots overall, hit five 3-pointers, and pulled down six rebounds. With Game 2 scheduled for Wednesday in Houston, the visiting Warriors took a 1-0 series lead thanks to Butler's seven rebounds and six assists.

Final

1 2 3 4 T

GS- 18 29 22 26 95

HOU- 21 13 26 25 85