The Golden State Warriors are not your typical No. 7 seed. Not with Steph Curry, Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler on the court and Steve Kerr coaching.
The Warriors took a 3-1 series lead against the second-seeded Houston Rockets with a 109-106 victory in Game 4 of their first-round Western Conference playoffs matchup Monday.
Butler made three free throws with 58.7 seconds remaining giving Golden State a 107-104 lead, and after Alperen Sengun cut the lead to 107-106 with a driving layup, Butler and Steph Curry missed shots.
Houston called timeout with 13.1 seconds left and ran a play that ended with a missed shot by Sengun with Green defending. Butler collected the rebound, was fouled and made both, putting the Warriors ahead 109-106. Fred VanVleet missed a potential game-tying 3-pointer to end the game.
The Warriors received a great offensive performance from Brandin Podziemski, who scored a playoff career-high 26 points, and Butler contributed 27 points, six assists and five rebounds after missing Game 3 with a left pelvic and deep gluteal muscle contusion. Butler was 12-for-12 on free throws.
Buddy Hield (15 points) and Quinten Post (13 points) helped the Warriors overcome 2-for-8 3-point shooting from Curry (17 points).
The No. 7 seed has toppled the No. 2 seed six times in the NBA playoffs and just twice since the first round moved from best-of-five to best-of-seven in 2003. It happened in 2023 when the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Memphis Grizzlies and in 2010 when the San Antonio Spurs stopped the Dallas Mavericks.
The Rockets shot better than the Warriors from the field (49.4% to 41.9%) and on 3-pointers (47.8% to 37%) but Golden State made six more 3s, and the Rockets shot just 61.3% on 31 free throw attempts.
Sengun scored a game-high 31 points and had 10 rebounds and five assists for the Rockets. VanVleet had 25 points, and teammate Amen Thompson added 17 points and nine rebounds.
Catch up on the highlights from Game 4 between the Rockets and Warriors:
Game 4 highlights: Warriors 109, Rockets 106
3Q: Warriors 82, Rockets 80
The Warriors opened the third quarter with an 18-1 run, took a 68-58 lead and headed into the fourth quarter ahead 82-80 and are 12 minutes from taking a 3-1 series lead against the Rockets.
Golden State’s Brandin Podziemski had eight of his team-high 21 points in the third quarter, and Steph Curry has 14 points for the Warriors but he is just 1-for-5 on 3-pointers. Golden State’s Quentin Post has 13 points off the bench and Buddy Hield has 12 points. Jimmy Butler, who missed Game 3 with an injury, has 13 points, five assists and three rebounds.
Alperen Sengun scored 21 points and Fred VanVleet 19 for the Rockets who are just 17-for-29 on free throws. The Warriors are 15-for-16 from the free throw line but have made four more 3-pointers than Houston.
Halftime: Rockets 57, Warriors 50
The second quarter was marred by reviews of two minor altercations that resulted in a flagrant foul one for Golden State’s Draymond Green and technical fouls for Green and Warriors star Steph Curry and Houston’s Dillon Brooks and Tari Eason.
In a physical and chippy game with combustible players, the Rockets rebounded from a slow start and 12-point deficit in the first quarter to take a 57-50 lead into halftime.
Each team has three players in double figures in points. Houston’s Fred VanVleet has a team-high 12 points followed by Brooks (11 points, five rebounds) and Alperen Sengun (10 points, six rebounds).
Golden State’s Brandin Podziemski has a game-high 13 points, Quentin Post has 12 and Curry has 10. Green and Jimmy Butler were scoreless in the second quarter for Golden State which is shooing 38.1% from the field and 36% on 3s. Houston has made 54.1% of its shots including 7-for-11 on 3s.
The Rockets have a 24-8 edge in points in the paint and have turned nine Warriors turnovers into 17 points.
Draymond Green picks up flagrant foul one, still eligible to play
Golden State’s Draymond Green was issued a flagrant foul one – and avoided his second technical foul – with 2:44 remaining in the second quarter and the Rockets leading 47-46. Houston’s Tari Eason knocked the ball away from Green and as Eason tried to collect the loose ball, Green fouled him. Both players fell to the court, and a brief tussle ensued. After another review, Green’s foul was upgraded to the flagrant foul one and Eason was given a technical foul for his actions after the foul. Had Green been given his second technical foul, he would’ve been ejected.
Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Dillon Brooks assessed technicals after dust-up
Houston’s Dillon Brooks, and Golden State’s Draymond Green and Steph Curry were each given technical fouls after Brooks fouled Curry with 7:00 remaining in the second quarter and the scored tied at 36. After the foul, Curry held up two fingers to signify Brooks’ second foul. Brooks — not surprisingly — objected to Curry’s taunt and tried to swipe the ball from Curry who wasn’t happy with that. Nor was Green who got in Brooks’ face. After a video review, the refs issued the technical fouls.
1Q: Warriors 28, Rockets 26
Jimmy Butler retuned to the starting lineup in Game 4 after missing Game 3 with a left pelvic and deep gluteal muscle contusion, and had four points, two rebounds and one block in the first quarter, helping the Warriors to a 28-26 lead.
Brandin Podziemski led Golden State with 10 points, and Draymond Green added six points and three rebounds. Golden State shot just 34.6% from the field and 26.7% on 3s in the opening quarter.
Amen Thompson has a team-high eight points for the Rockets who closed the quarter strongly and are shooting 52.6% from the field.
Rockets starting five
Jalen Green
Amen Thompson
Fred VanVleet
Dillon Brooks
Alperen Sengun
Warriors starting five
Is Jimmy Butler playing?
Yes, Jimmy Butler will start Game 4.
The Golden State Warriors forward remained listed as questionable on the official injury report but will coach Steve Kerr and the Warriors made the game-time decision.
Butler missed Game 3 with a left pelvic and deep gluteal muscle contusion, an injury he sustained in the Warriors’ Game 2 loss against the second-seeded Rockets.
What time is Warriors vs. Rockets?
Game 4 between the Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors will tip-off at 10 p.m. ET April 28 at the Chase Center in San Francisco, California.
How to watch Warriors vs. Rockets playoff game: TV, stream
Time: 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT
Location: Chase Center (San Francisco, California)
TV: TNT
Stream: Sling TV, Max, YouTube TV
Watch Warriors vs. Rockets Game 4 with Sling TV
Warriors vs. Rockets NBA playoff schedule, results
Warriors lead series 2-1
Game 1: Warriors 95, Rockets 85
Game 2: Rockets 109, Warriors 94
Game 3: Warriors 104, Rockets 93
Game 4: Warriors 109, Rockets 106
Game 5: Warriors at Rockets | Wednesday, April 30, 7:30 p.m. ET | TNT
Game 6: Rockets at Warriors | Friday, May 2, TBD | TBD*
Game 7: Warriors at Rockets | Sunday, May 4, TBD | TBD*
*if necessary