What we learned as Warriors hold off Rockets, take 3-1 series lead to Houston
What we learned as Warriors hold off Rockets, take 3-1 series lead to Houston originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO – The bad blood between the Warriors and Houston Rockets boiled over into dangerous territory Monday night at Chase Center in Game 4 of their first-round NBA playoff series.
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With so much on the line, the Warriors were the last man standing on the battlefield, beating the Rockets 109-106 to take a commanding three-games-to-one series lead.
All eyes were on Jimmy Butler in his return from missing Game 3, and most of Game 2, because of a left pelvic contusion. Butler limped to the free-throw line with 58 seconds left and the score tied 104-104 after being fouled on a 3-point attempt. The longtime playoff star made all three free throws. His two free throws in the final four seconds were the final points of the night, putting an exclamation point on his heroic effort of 27 points and six rebounds in 40 minutes.
Butler was a perfect 12 of 12 on free throws, finding the extra gear Golden State needed in the second half.
Steve Kerr also changed his starting lineup, bringing Buddy Hield in and keeping Moses Moody on the bench. The decision went about as perfectly as Kerr could have hoped for. Hield brought defensive intensity early, and later hit some big shots, scoring 15 points as a game-high plus-17 in 30 minutes.
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The starting five played 14 and a half minutes together and outscored the Rockets 41-20 together.
On a night where Steph Curry was held to 17 points on 6-of-13 shooting and 2 of 8 on threes, Brandin Podziemski had a game to remember as his backcourt mate. Podziemski scored 26 points and made six threes. He also had five rebounds, five assists and two steals, but his ability to be a big-time scorer shone brightest in the most important game of his young career.
Here are three takeaways from the Warriors’ Game 4 win.
The pain Butler played through is sure to be downplayed by the man himself. He isn’t one to make excuses or show a sign of weakness. He also clearly wasn’t at full strength like the player who put up 25 points, seven rebounds, six assists and five steals over 42 minutes in the Warriors’ Game 1 win.
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Butler scored four points on two shot attempts in the first quarter, and then was held scoreless as a minus-11 in the second, bringing him to just four points, two rebounds and two assists on three shot attempts in the first half. In the third quarter, though, the beast inside Butler was awakened.
His short halftime rest had Butler looking more active in the third quarter, and it showed in his stats. Butler in the third quarter drew three fouls and scored nine points, going 5 of 5 at the free-throw line. That’s the Butler the Warriors badly needed.
Butler bodied the Rockets down the stretch and turned a paltry first-half stat line into pure production, scoring 23 of his 27 points in the second half. Take a bow, Playoff Jimmy.
Basketball was replaced by a dumbed-down backyard brawl in the second quarter, bringing the pace of the game to a snail’s crawl. There were numerous scuffles and multiple reviews by the referees that mostly made the home crowd furious. It was ugly in so many ways.
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Between two different incidents, Draymond Green was called for a technical foul and a Flagrant 1. Curry was called for a technical for taunting Dillon Brooks, who also was given a tech in the same sequence. Tari Eason also was assessed a technical foul during a skirmish on the floor with Green. This kind of game was incredibly predictable given how the series has played out so far.
The antics also played in the Rockets’ favor, at least for the second quarter.
They were able to completely muck the game up and get the Warriors out of their rhythm. After only one turnover in the first quarter, the Warriors didn’t take care of the ball in the second quarter and paid for it. They tallied eight turnovers for the period, which led to 16 Rockets points – more than half of their 31 second-quarter points.
They could have played into the Rockets’ game to begin the second half, but instead, the Warriors came out of halftime laser-focused as a completely different team. The Warriors, through the first three and a half minutes, went on a 13-0 run, finally driving into the lane and breaking down the Rockets’ defense. Their run was pushed to 18-1, making it seem like the Warriors could bury the Rockets for good.
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Not so fast. The Rockets then had their own response shortly after, going on a 7-0 run to cut the Warriors’ lead to three points halfway through the third quarter. The final six minutes of the third quarter were a back-and-forth battle with the Warriors holding an 82-80 lead going into the fourth quarter after outscoring the Rockets 32-23.
The Warriors also had to fend off the Rockets for the final eight minutes of the third quarter without Green after being whistled for his fifth foul. He didn’t return until there were just under eight minutes remaining in the game and the Warriors trailed 92-90. Sengun in that span scored 16 points.
Green kept himself in the game and contested Sengun’s game-winning attempt over him with six seconds left. A handful of Warriors played like champions down the stretch, including the one who nearly played himself out of the game.
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