Warriors’ Curry Leads Team to Game 1 Win Over Rockets

HOUSTON — Draymond Green succinctly summed up the central factor behind the Golden State Warriors’ triumph over the Houston Rockets in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series on Sunday night.

“To secure victories in basketball, we need Steph Curry to deliver brilliance,” Green commented. “And that’s exactly what he did.”

Curry netted 31 points, propelling the Warriors to gradually construct a significant advantage, ultimately securing a 95-85 victory over the Rockets.
Shooting an impressive 12 of 19 from the field, Curry nailed 5 out of 9 attempts from beyond the arc. His display of mesmerizing circus shots left his teammates in awe and the bench celebrating animatedly.

Making his playoff debut with the Warriors following a trade from Miami in February, Jimmy Butler contributed 25 points, seven rebounds, six assists, and five steals.
“Curry made some astounding plays and led the offense together with Jimmy,” remarked Coach Steve Kerr.

The seventh-seeded Warriors built a 23-point lead by the third quarter, though the second-seeded Rockets managed to narrow it down to 69-60 entering the final period.

A well-timed basket by Amen Thompson closed the gap to four with about 5 1/2 minutes remaining, but Curry responded quickly with his fifth 3-pointer of the evening, extending the lead to 82-75.
Once more, the Rockets pulled within four due to a Fred VanVleet 3-pointer with approximately 2 1/2 minutes to play. This time, Moses Moody’s three-pointer sparked a 7-0 spurt, pushing the score to 91-80, leading to fans heading for the exits.

The pivotal Game 2 of the best-of-seven series is scheduled for Wednesday night in Houston.
Despite Houston’s dominance on the offensive boards with a 22-6 advantage, the Warriors emerged victories.
“I’m confident we can improve significantly,” Green expressed. “That’s the encouraging aspect. We didn’t perform well overall.”

Steve Kerr celebrated his 100th career playoff coaching win, joining Larry Brown in a tie for the sixth-most playoff victories.
“I’m fortunate to coach the players on this team,” Kerr acknowledged. “It’s the players who win games. Our role is to support them when needed.”

Back in the playoffs for the first time since 2020, the Rockets saw Alperen Sengun gather 26 points in his inaugural postseason match. Yet, VanVleet and Jalen Green faced difficulty, making only 7 of 34 shots combined.
“Our execution was lacking,” VanVleet admitted. “Perhaps the physicality affected us, but we seemed to handle it well mostly.”

VanVleet finished with 2 of 13 from beyond the arc on a night Houston landed just 6 of 29 three-pointers and succeeded in only 11 out of 20 free-throw attempts.
The Warriors clinched their playoff position through a 121-116 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies in the Play-In Tournament.

Golden State achieved another playoff win against the Rockets, echoing their eliminations from 2015 to 2019. Nonetheless, Curry perceived this game as different, given the transformation of the Rockets’ roster.
“Playoff experience and composure enable us to withstand opposing runs and maintain composure,” Curry stated. “We lean more on that rather than previous encounters.”