The Golden State Warriors secured a narrow 95-85 victory over the Houston Rockets in Game 1 of their Western Conference first-round playoff series on Sunday. Stephen Curry was phenomenal and lifted the Warriors to their 21st consecutive victory, scoring a game-high 31 points. After a pedestrian performance against the same opponent earlier this month, he responded with remarkable poise. Jimmy Butler III was a huge factor, pouring in 25 points, seven boards and six dimes.
Curry’s impressive showing came just weeks after he struggled against the Rockets, scoring only three points while shooting 1-for-10 in a home loss on April 6. His return was instrumental in this Wild Card matchup. His three-pointer pushed the Warriors’ lead to 82-75, the crucial shot coming as he drained it with just over five minutes remaining in the game. This clutch hit came just in time to get the Warriors rolling in the right direction. The Rockets had just pulled the game back from a cozy 23-point lead to just three points after Amen Thompson drained a floater with 6 minutes 49 seconds left.
Though the Rockets made a valiant attempt to come back, they put themselves in a tough position early and throughout the game. Houston’s offense was held in check, shooting just 39.1 percent overall and turning the ball over 17 times. The Warriors took full advantage, converting those mistakes into 25 points. Jalen Green and Fred VanVleet were underwhelming offensively for Houston. Collectively, they went a dismal 7-for-34 from the floor scoring just 17 points between them.
The Warriors’ tenacious D and deliberate O allowed them to never relinquish their advantage during the battle. They have a 1-0 series lead heading into Game 2, set for Wednesday in Houston.
In contrast to the close battle in this matchup, the Oklahoma City Thunder made headlines with an astonishing 131-80 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies, marking the most lopsided Game 1 win in NBA playoff history. In other playoff action, Derrick White scored a career-high 30 points and carried the Boston Celtics past the Orlando Magic, 103-86. On the other hand, the Cleveland Cavaliers crushed the Miami Heat, taking an easy 121-100 victory.
